A Never Ending Tale
by secretgal
Summary: A new crystal has formed and a new story is about to be included in the war of Dissidia. Includes the characters of the FFXIII universe. Rated T for blood and violence.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is a fanfic I have written that attempts to describe the world of Dissidia and the powers of the deities, especially Shinryu, that are present in it. I am also allowing for the characters of the _Fabula Nova Crystallis _worlds to be included in this story. Some of the events that occur in the game of Dissidia, but some of the events are not cannon, but rather my speculation and the result of a need to release some pent up stress. All lines that are italicized are either dreams or in the thoughts of the character. There are spoilers so I am warning you all!

Major thanks to Square Enix for creating so many characters, worlds, and stories for twenty years (all of which I do not own or claim to own). Also to the GameFAQs: Dissidia: Final Fantasy Game Script Translation by MinoSpelgud! on the gamefaqs website. Enjoy!

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_Prologue_

Dissidia was a place bound by three forces: discord, harmony, and balance. Within the powers of this universe were the twelve worlds, which were each represented by an omnipresent crystal. The power of discord would choose a crystal and throw that world into chaos. In response, the power of harmony would fight against the chaos. The two forces would fight until one was triumphant. Then the power of balance would come and revive and restore the fallen power to its original state. The looser would then choose a new crystal, and the war would begin again. Thus was the cycle of Dissidia: a never ending destruction, revival, and restoration of worlds.

Things were normally calm in Dissidia, but when there was a dispute in the actual world itself, every one noticed. When two of the powers were in dispute, it was up to the third to determine the outcome.

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	2. Fate Sealed

_The Palace of Shinryu, Dissidia_

The palace of the eternal dragon was abuzz. The summons, espers, aeons, idolons, beasts, and divine creatures that aided the heroes and villains were gathering in mass. They were all there: Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut, Odin, Typhon, the Magus Sisters, Yojimbo, Ixion, Hades, Kjata, the Titan, Mateus, Maduin, Ultima, Kirin, Alexander, Carbuncle, Seraph, Leviathan, the Phoenix, Omega, and Ramuh. Each one of the humanoid or bestial figures were connected and ruled by this deity. Some came to show respect, others to see what would happen, and some to just see Shinryu in the flesh, since the great dragon rarely appeared.

The great throne room was overflowing with these onlookers and buzzed with chatter. Summons were attempting to get the best view possible, either from the second, third, or forth floor banisters that were above the great room. The great hall was a sea of colors, fires, and magic, except for the scarlet red carpet that ran from the entrance to the great blue crystal throne at the end of the hall. It was a sight to behold.

Yet the entire hall quieted when the great doors of the hall opened. All of the eyes in the room swung to the doors, peering from all of the balconies and rows to see who was coming. A small, tiny moogle came forth and began to walk towards the throne. He carried with him a parchment, wrapped with a white and black ribbon. The only sound that could be heard was the echoes of the summons choughs and growls. After he reached the foot of the throne's steps, he turned around and he spoke:

"May I present to the court of Dissidia, his lordship, the God of destruction, Chaos and her ladyship, the Goddess of harmony, Cosmos."

Taking their queue, two figures entered into the great hall, walking side by side down the scarlet carpet. As they passed, each of the summons bowed before them. One was the figure of a great demon, with red horns, four arms, and great wings. If one knew better, the creature could have been mistaken for a summon. His mustard yellow eyes were filled with determination and terror. The other figure was a woman, dressed in a white silk dress, with a gold belt and collar, a water-colored fabric stole and veil with gold highlights. She was beautiful with fair skin and wavy blond hair. Her eyes, though determined as well, showed the slightest hint of sadness and pity at what was about to happen. Each moved slowly down the carpet, not looking at each other.

They stopped just before the first steps that lead to the crystal throne. The moogle nodded in approval. The two deities then nodded in return. After a moment of silence and waiting, a small breeze began to grow inside the hall. Some of the younger summons looked around, wondering where the wind was coming from. Soon though, the breeze grew and expanded, from a simple whisper to a full-fledged storm. The torches that lit the sides of the room were trying furiously to stay lit. At first, the winds blew from the east, then the west, then began to circle. All of the winds then began to collect towards the ceiling. The eyes of the summons and the two gods stared at the ceiling as the winds danced above their heads in a graceful waltz. The pressure of the room built and built, until it finally burst, and then vanished.

Silence filled the hall again. And then the moogle spoke: "The great eternal dragon of Balance has arrived. All hail Shinryu!"

At that moment a great yellow light appeared, filling the hall, blinding everyone there. Then came a great and mighty roar. The dragon had appeared. Out of the light the figure of an enormous, dragon appeared. All of the creatures and deities kneeled before the dragon, with fear and awe. After a satisfying grunt, Shinryu began to descend, never letting its ruby eyes look away from the crowd. Its mighty tail touched the grown first, and then the whole body came with it. At that moment, the scaly skin began to change into a thin cloth. Those that looked were amazed as the giant dragon transformed into a human shape, a woman. The great dragon had arrived.

Draped in silver and gold, the woman who appeared out of the remains of the dragon walked towards the throne. She turned around to reveal her face to the audience that watched her. Her hair was a fiery red, with a set of ruby eyes, a small smile playing on her face. She then let her gaze move towards the two deities kneeling before her.

"Chaos", she spoke in a voice that echoed through the great halls and revealed at the same time many decades of wisdom. In response, the red demon looked up, his yellow eyes meeting her ruby.

"Cosmos", the goddess then turned to face the woman; this time greeted with sapphire eyes that were as deep as the ocean. She also nodded in return. Shinryu then motioned for them to stand with a wave of her hand, as she took her seat in the throne behind her.

"So, what brings you here?"

The two deities remained silent. The page moogle kneeled before the throne, presenting his mistress with the scroll he had been carrying. She took it in her ivory hand and opened the note. The whole hall remained silent as she read the note to herself. It was from one of the goddesses of the crystals.

_Shinryu,_

_I understand that the gods of harmony and discord are awaiting the beginning of another battle. Before that begins, what is the status of thirteenth world in this conflict? The crystal is formed, yet the story and its players have not yet been written. If the world is brought into the conflict, I fear that certain irreversible damages could occur to the stories of this world. I beg you, please choose wisely before something horrible happens. I fear what both Chaos and Cosmos have planned for the tales of the thirteenth world._

_Your humble servant,_

_Crystallis_

When Shinryu had finished reading, she returned the note to the moogle and began to speak. "So there is a disagreement as to the inclusion of the thirteenth world. Chaos, what are your thoughts about this?"

The demon replied: "It is my wish, great Shinryu, that the thirteenth world be included in this battle. As the note states, the crystal of that world has been formed. I believe that a world is defined when the crystal is finally formed and created. If I am to fight against Cosmos, in the greatest display of power and strength, should not all of the worlds that have crystals be included? How can one world be excluded when there is in fact a formed crystal? If all of the worlds are to be included in this battle, as the Goddess of Harmony wished, then the thirteenth needs to be included!"

As soon as he had finished, the entire hall erupted into a swarm of sounds. It was a mix of cheers and applauds, boos and protests, whispers and yells. The once calm room of beasts and summons was thrown into a chaotic dysfunction. The sounds of the crowd did not last long, as Shinryu raised her hand. Within moments the entire hall returned to silence.

The silence was broken by Shinryu. "Very well, Chaos. Cosmos, what are your feelings about the thirteenth world?"

The woman, who had remained silent the entire time, spoke: "Shinryu, I believe that the thirteenth world should be excluded. While I acknowledge that the crystal is indeed formed, it is only partially complete. The story of this world and the people in it has yet to be laid. It is still in its infant stages. If the world was thrown into this battle, the effects to the world and the people in it could change from what they are originally intended.

"Every time Chaos and I have fought, the world were all fully formed, with the characters and story firmly placed. It is for the world's protection that it be left out of the conflict. I fear for the story and future that will come from this new world. I propose that we wait until the crystal is entirely formed and then fight."

When Cosmos ended, there is a silent hush to the great hall. No one spoke, but it felt calmer, and more silent than ever before. Shinryu bowed her head to the goddess. She then tucked her head down, a sign of her being deep in thought. The room remained silent.

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In the crowd of creatures, on the side of Cosmos was a collection of humans. They all looked different and looked as if they had come from different worlds, which was the truth. They were in fact the summoned Warriors of Cosmos. Each of them was listening intently to the event that was occurring. Though they should have been silent, two of them were talking in a hushed whisper.

"I told you Cosmos would kick Chaos' butt!" Spoke Bartz Klauser, the self-appointed good spirit of the warriors and a talented mime.

"Yeah, but why was everyone silent?" The reply came from Zidane Tribal, a thief from the world of Gaia, who was distinguishable by his yellow monkey tail.

"I think they were blown away by the unbelievable awesomeness of Cosmos!"

"Well I think…" Zidane began.

"We'll all get kicked out of here if you two don't shut up! So be quiet!" The two looked behind them to see that Squall Leonhart had caught them in the act of talking. The SeeD Special Forces leader was 'unfortunate' in having been paired with these two 'knuckle heads'. But he actually enjoyed their company, even if he would never admit it.

Bartz gave a muffled groan before looking over at his other compatriots. The other Warriors of Cosmos: Firion, the leader of The Wild Roses Rebellion group; the Onion Knight, a young and short knight who had a very weird name; Cecil Harvey, a dark knight and paladin who cared about the other warriors; Terra Branford, a young woman who had incredible magical abilities thanks to her being half human and half esper; Cloud Strife, a remarkable swordsman with a mysterious past, a pessimistic view of life, and a head of hair that reminded Bartz of his chocobo, Boco; and finally Tidus, another swordsman who played Blitball for a profession and was full of energy and speed. It was an odd bunch to say the least, but they worked well together.

The mime then realized that there were only nine of the warriors. Confused, he slipped through the crowd, in an awkward fashion that was only explained by him being Bartz. Seeing Terra, he lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Terra, where's WOL and Shantotto?"

"Lady Shantotto and who?" came the confused response from the young woman.

"The Warrior of Light?"

"Oh, him. I don't know. I think the two were given a certain task by Cosmos. Sorry Bartz."

"That's OK. OH, I think something is happening!"

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All of the eyes in the room turned to Shrinryu, as she rose from her throne.

"I have decided: the thirteenth world will participate in the war! It is a crystal, and all worlds with crystals must fight. I will remain here in the palace to make sure that all goes well."

As her speech ended, the entire hall erupted once again in noise, hailing the mighty goddess who had just spoken. Chaos and Cosmos then bowed one final time before leaving the hall. Chaos had an expression joy, as if something marvelous had just been put into motion. In contrast, Cosmos' face was grim, as though she knew of the terrible consequences that would happen.

The Warriors of Cosmos were also concerned, though their faces were filled with confusion and worry as to what would happen. Terra hung her head and whispered under her breath, "I fear a terrible fate will occur to that world; to its crystal and people. I fear for their safety." Cloud, Firion, and Cecil silently nodded in agreement. Seeing that there was no point staying in the hall, the nine warriors left to meet with Cosmos and the two missing warriors.

Among the hails and adorations from the thousands of creatures that filled the hall, Shinryu noticed some ominous figures. In the balcony that was directly opposite the throne on the other side of the hall, was another group of humans. For where she was, the great goddess could not see who they were, but was unnerved by their presence. If she had been closer, she could have counted ten figures. They were all different in appearance and statue, except for the smug and pleased smile that crossed a few of their faces.

"Is Ultimecia in place?" Garland asked.

"She is indeed." replied the Emperor.

"It had begun" was the reply.

The tale of the thirteenth world was spurned into motion.

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	3. The Goddess of Death

_Tenebrae: City of Shadows._

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum despised parties. It was being a round people, having to meet people, needing to commit business propositions, all of which he hated. That was the life that his father had wanted, what he had worked for all of his life. But Noctis felt he did not belong in this world. All that he wanted was lead a quite life, away from all of the turmoil and pressure of his father. Just get away; that was the dream.

He sighed. A small smirk appeared on his face. It was then that his mind wandered to the mysterious guest that he had met earlier that evening. _What was her name again? _ He thought to himself. _Stella. That's right. Stella Nox Fleuret. _The prince had met her looking at that painting.

She was everything that he was not. He was introverted, shy, and headstrong. Always was. It annoyed his mother sometimes, how forceful yet bashfully shy he was. He was always thinking, wearing a face of worry and concern. Even for a man so young, he thought like that of a man twenty or thirty years older than he. Stella, though, seemed to smile every chance she got. Her very existence was to bubble with life, and joy. It annoyed him how happy she was, but it also intrigued him. But didn't she see the same star as he did? How could she see it?

That star was the related to the Goddess of Death. Her unforgiving portrait was suspended by a figure of the grim reaper a few feet away from the prince. He hated her. It was because of her that he was dying, that he would never live past thirty. That his fate was sealed from the moment he was born. As much as a fought against it, Noctis knew that it was a loosing battle. He sighed again, musing towards the painting.

_Death is unavoidable, I know. But what I wouldn't give to escape it. To…cheat death._

"That can be arranged," came a woman's voice.

Shocked, Noctis turned around to see that he was not alone.

"Who are you? How did you know what I was thinking?" He asked the stranger.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I scare you? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ultimecia"

She bowed before the prince, carefully making sure that her long silver bangs did not tough the marble floor of the room. When she had finished, Ultimecia straightened up, allowing Noctis to have a good look at her. He was first drawn to the odd tattoo markings that were allover her body. Then the beast-like hands and claw like feet, which terrified him. And finally the wings which seemed to be growing out of her back as though she was born with them. There was something…evil about her that emanated from her very presence. The whole sight made Noctis uncomfortable, but he never showed that on his face.

Ultimecia, however, noticed his quiet manner.

"Do not be frightened, I only want to talk with you. And surely you, your highness, would know to never judge one by his or her appearance."

"It's Noctis." He tried to make his escape, walking away from the painting and Ultimecia.

"But…I only wanted to have a conversation with you. I would have you know that I am a very powerful sorceress who is a master of time. I can stop, slow down, speed up, and even compress time if I need to."

"That sounds so interesting," Noctis replied, "but I do not believe in any of that magic stuff."

"Are you sure?"

"Look if you want something, there's nothing here. I don't think I can help him."

Ultimecia was trying to keep the Prince within the room. Her master needed Noctis and she was going to do everything in her power to leave with him, willingly or not. The prince turned towards the exit of the room. It was at this point that the sorceress noticed the painting. A plan began to form.

"Who is this?" she inquired.

"That is the Goddess of Death. She is the one who greets a soul after he or she dies and ushers them into the door of death. If one is to see the light that emits from the door, they are granted the power of Death's Kingdom."

"Fascinating! You know so much."

"Thank you. I should be going now"

There was a moment of silence, before Ultimecia went in for the final strike.

"I think I have met this Goddess." she said musingly.

Noctis' heart stopped. _She met the goddess! How?!_

Ultimecia continued, a smile growing on her face. "In fact, I have met her. She does not look like this…"

"Where did you see her? How?" Noctis asked, with a forceful tone in his voice. He turned around and went back to the sorceress.

"Calm down. Her name is Cosmos."

"Cosmos?"

"Yes, and she is a truly dangerous menace who my acquaintances have deemed necessary to dispose of."

"There are more?"

"Ten to be precise. And our leader, Chaos."

"What do you mean by 'dispose of'?"

"Why, kill her."

Noctis was silent. This was so convenient, but too good to be true. "What will…"

"Happen? I think, your highness, you will never have to fear death again."

This was all too much. Noctis felt as though he would finally cheat death. As he was deep in thought, Noctis felt something firm on his soldier.

"I know what I have told you so much. My comrades and I are willing to take you to meet with my master. But it is up to you." Ultimecia knew that Noctis had already made up his mind, but she wanted to seem as sincere as possible. The sorceress then started to walk away from the prince.

"I do hope to…" she began.

"Count me in."

Ultimecia smiled. "Then I will let Chaos know of your decision. I will see you then in another twelve hours."

As Ultimecia walked into a portal she had formed, she congratulated herself on succeeding in her mission. She decided to tell Chaos first, and then the Emperor. Noctis, meanwhile, stood in front of the painting, with a smile on his face.

"Now", he spoke, "I will cheat death."

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	4. Battle in the Underworld

_The Underworld, Outskirts of Cocoon_

The Holy Government of Cocoon had finally located Team Nora, an underground resistance movement whose aim was to usurp their powers. Agents of the military had traced the group to "The Underworld", the last stop for traitors of Cocoon before sending them to Pulse. What was most disturbing was that one of the members of this 'little resistance' was an ex-officer who was a danger to government's plans and the safety of those in Cocoon. Three separate militias, with one-hundred men each had been sent to remove the traitor, preferably dead. All orders were to have **her **eliminated as soon as possible.

By the time that the fourth round of soldiers was beginning to form, ex-officer Lightning was on her last leg. She had been able to take out hundreds of more people, more trained than the one being sent now. Yet wave after wave of PSICOM soldiers had taken its toll on the warrior. After another soldier fell to the ground, Lightning collapsed to her knees, breathing deeply and painfully. The woman was already bruised allover her body, cuts covered her legs, and most of her ribs were broken. She could taste blood in her mouth. Though she was fighting with the other members of Nora and Snow, it was getting harder and harder to keep battling.

"Lightning!"

She quickly turned around to see Snow, who was also beaten up. He waved one of his giant arms in a motion that indicated for Lightning to 'get a move on'. She nodded, stood up, finally noticing that the right side of her body ached, and began to run towards Snow. Every step she took was like a searing pain running through her whole body. As she neared Snow, she noticed that he was worn down and breathing hard as well.

"There's more coming! I don't think we can hold them off", he spoke, leaning his enormous six foot body down to Lightning's eye-level.

"I know", she responded, gasping for breath.

"What do they want?"

"Me apparently."

Lightning began to scan the area with her eyes, trying to find any way she could escape from the area. Her gravity powers were too low to get her to a higher platform out of the path of the enemy forces. She wondered how so many men could have come all at once. Her options were slim. Running would do nothing, as she and Snow were too worn down to outrun the PSICOM soldiers. Fighting would also be futile, as they would be quickly defeated. Yet if one of them were to get away, then Nora could rest and fight the government another day. That seemed to be the only solution. Lightning had made up her mind.

"Look," she told Snow, "take Vanille and the others and get out. I'll stall them for as long as I can."

"Li…Lightning. Don't do that. We're all getting out of this."

"Sometimes you need to loose a few good men."

"I would rather loose none!"

"You should have thought about that before you started a rebel faction."

Why was he still talking to him? He and the rest of Nora needed to get out.

"Just get going!"

"But Lightning…"

"I know the risks. And so do you."

"Bu…"

A missile exploded a few hundred yards away, making the platform they were on sway.

"No buts! Go or we'll all die here!"

Lightning turned around and saw fifty heavily armed PSICOM officers heading her and Snow's way.

"GO SNOW!" she yelled. Lightning could not bear to look her comrade directly in the eye. Tears began to form in her eyes. Closing them, all she could hear was the sound of heavy footsteps running away from her. The tears she was hiding under her eyes seeped out and flowed down her face. _I'm going to die here. Make it worthwhile._

The sounds of fifty automatic guns preparing to fire caught her attention and shook Lightning out of the peaceful moment she was thinking of. Opening her turquoise eyes, she saw the enemy forming before her. She immediately tensed up, and raised her gunblade to her chest, taking a fighting stance. It would only be a few seconds before she would have to fight for her life.

"The future belongs not to those who wait" she whispered. And then, with blade raised, she ran towards the soldiers.

But before she could attack or strike anything, a great, blinding light appeared. Then everything went black. The sensation of falling, not having any ground bellow her, took over. After a few moments, her body hit ground with a sickening thud and crack. In the distance, she could hear the screams of Snow. His screams were then blocked by the crash of a steel beams and crumbling debris. Everything then went black, as she felt her whole body being crushed by the weight the fallen platform.

Lightning's eyes opened one last time, thinking that it would be the last time she ever saw this world. Her last vision was of the sensation of being turned over on her back and the outline of cobalt blue armored feet.

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	5. Dreams and Fears

_The Throne of Chaos,_

Chaos reflected on his legion of villains. It was an odd but ruthless group of assorted sorcerers and undying powers. The ranks included the Emperor Palimecia, the Cloud of Darkness, Golbez, Ex-Death, Kefka, Sephiroth, Kuja, Jecht, Judge Gabrath, Ultimecia, and Garland. And now there would be twelve, with the inclusion of Prince Noctis.

Sitting in his throne, Chaos was incredibly pleased. Not only had Shinryu sided with him, but he now had a new warrior, who would certainly help defeat Cosmos once and for all. Everything was going according to plan.

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_Throne of Cosmos_

"That was close. Too close."

Cosmos spoke. She would normally be sitting on her throne, but it was occupied by Lightning, who was sleeping at the moment. Standing beside her was Lady Shantotto, who was acting as a white mage to Lightning, healing her wounds, casting Cure, Holy, and Full Restore, anything to ease the pains. Even after an hour of complete spell casting, there were still wounds on the girl's body.

Standing by the goddess was one of the summoned warriors: the Warrior of Light. She had met him previously before the Great War, when he was battling Garland when he was revived by the Four Fiends. He was just as brave and loyal then as he was now. When she asked him to retrieve Lightning just in case Shinryu had decided to allow the thirteenth world into the battle, he not even winced or questioned the order given.

"I was worried for a moment that I was too late." He told the goddess.

"As soon as I learned that Chaos had already selected a warrior from the thirteenth world, I had to intervene. I thought he would wait before making his selection. It's too bad that her world has become unhinged. I should have known better. Perhaps if I…"

"There's nothing to apologize for." The Warrior of Light interrupted. "You saved her before she was truly lost."

"I know, but I should have saved the world of Pulse and Cocoon entirely."

The conversation stopped. Seeing the saddening expression on her face, the Warrior of Light decided not to talk to her anymore, and instead focused on the wounded body of Lightning. Her breathing was regular now, and she looked like she was sleeping. Most of the minor scrapes and cuts were healed, and the dried blood had been cleaned. After a few minutes of silence, Shantotto jumped off of the platform that Lightning was on and walked over to the goddess.

"Well, that's all I can do. She'll need to sleep through the rest, but I think she'll be all right. She's quite a tough girl to take so much of a beating."

"Thank you, Shantotto." Cosmos spoke, "I will take care of the girl now. Please, do not tell the others about her. I want to keep her as separated from this war as possible, even if Chaos has placed her opponent in the main battle. If she crosses paths with one of you, do not hesitate to help her."

"Very well", replied the Warrior of Light.

The two warriors bowed before Cosmos. Shantotto then cast a teleporting spell and the two vanished, leaving the two women alone. Cosmos then walked up to the platform of her shrine and sat down in the extra space that was near Lightning's head. Though it was not proper for a goddess such as her to touch a mortal, Cosmos' motherly instincts were ignited by Lightning. Carefully, the goddess took her hand and started to stroke the sleeping woman's head of strawberry blond hair, trying to sooth whatever pain was left in her. It was as though Lightning was her daughter.

Cosmos then remembered her adopted son, how he hated her, even though she loved him, and still did. How he hated when she tried to hug him, or refused to call her 'mama'. She had never had a true child, and it grieved her so. How no one would be able to pass on her story. How she had joined the army in an attempt to save him, and how it failed. The goddess sighed, as a single tear graced her cheek and fell silently to the ground.

_I wish…that this cycle would end._

Feeling her already weak powers diminish one again, she decided the best action to take was to reserve her power. She disappeared from the throne, leaving Lightning to rest peacefully.

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	6. The Mission

_The Chaos Temple of the Past_

All of the Warriors of Chaos had gathered together. It was their unofficial meeting place. This time, they were welcoming Noctis into their circle of warriors. From the start, Noctis seemed trusting of a certain few people: Ultimecia, though she seemed to be inline with the Emperor, appeared to be understanding of what he was going through. Gabranth was also trustworthy, with his power and title from Ivalice. Exdeath and the Cloud of Darkness were too bent on the 'void of nothingness' to help him. Kuja was too much into himself, although he was the youngest of the warriors. Kefka was to be avoided at all costs. Sephiroth and Garland had their own plans, but they could be helpful in certain situations. Golbez and Jecht seemed out of the loop, as though they were not sure why they were fighting for Chaos. They all had different goals, but their objective was the same: Destroy Cosmos.

After an hour of talking, Ultimecia silenced the eleven other villains:

"We are all here for the same reason. We were summoned by Chaos to destroy the harmony and good that Cosmos, that wretched Goddess of Death, stands for. But to do so, we must destroy all twelve of her warriors. The Warriors of Light. They shall fall one by one. And when the time comes, everything will fall into place. They will rise to fight, to their last breath, the final struggle…"

The Emperor continued, as if this was intentional:

"And then the perfect ending! It we seize the crystals, those lights of the world, and snuff them out one by one, all will go according to plan!"

Noctis felt proud to be part of something like this. He felt as though this was chance to end his struggle towards death. But…something wasn't right. A tiny _what if this was wrong_ formed in his head.

Closing his eyes, he shook the doubt from his mind.

§————————————————————————————§

_Throne of Cosmos_

_Yellow and white flowers, green fields, and blue skies surrounded Lightning. She was running towards something. She wasn't sure what, but she felt the urge to get there as fast as possible. The thing turned out to be a person. No, it was a woman, wearing a white dress and a yellow veil. As Lightning neared her, a circle of fire erupted from the air, and encircled the woman._

_Lightning screamed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the landscape had morphed into a volcanic red plane. The sky was an ominous blood red. It was terrifying. She then looked to where the woman had stood only to see some ashes. The mountain in front of her erupted and a huge fiery demon appeared. It laughed ominously, shaking Lightning to the core. Without warning then, twelve hooded figures encircled her. She reached for her gunblade, only to find air. She was defenseless and now one of the figures as coming closer. It spoke to her:_

_You cannot escape your fate, Lightning. All will perish!"_

_She screamed._

Lightning awoke with a shudder. She rarely had nightmares, but this was terrifying, almost too real to be a dream. Touching her head, she noticed that sweat was dripping from it.

_It was a dream. It was only a dream. You're fine. You're…_

At that moment she finally looked up. She had no idea where she was. The entire landscape was made of what seemed like static blue waves of water. It was as if she were adrift on an endless ocean. The only distinguishing features were the many shaped white rocks that protruded from the ground, like the fins of a fish gliding bellow the waves. Looking at the sky, Lightning noticed that it was painted with deep blues and cobalt clouds. Sprinkled between everything were brush strokes of light green ribbon lights. The whole scene was unlike anything she had seen before.

Slowly and carefully, she stood up, moving herself off of the white platform that she was just lying on, and then stepping down the set of steps that made the platform to the ground. Her footsteps made the sound of stepping into puddles, as she stepped on the blue surface. Looking around, she tried once again to survey the landscape for any one or anything living. She placed her hand on the lower part of her back, feeling for her weapon, still remembering the dream. Finally touching the handle, she immediately loosened up.

_What am I thinking? I'm alone._

"You're awake", came a gentle voice.

Lightning immediately tensed up, grabbed her gunblade, which was in the gun mode, and switched it to sword mode as she spun around. Whoever it was that said that, Lightning was getting some answers from. Sitting in the spot where she had just been resting was a woman!

Trying to be forceful, Lightning asked, "Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

The woman stood up, revealing a full length, silk dress, with a gold collar and matching belt. "My name is Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony. And you, Lightning, are in the world of Dissidia…"

"Where?" Lightning interrupted.

"It's rather complicated. There are many worlds, and land of Dissidia is made up of the scattered fragments of each world, which are all apart of the domain of me, Chaos, and Shinryu."

Lightning looked at Cosmos with a confused face.

"Ok. How did I get here?"

At that question Cosmos, looked down, as if she were preparing herself to tell a terrible truth. "I have summoned you here because your world of Pulse and Cocoon has fallen into the hands of Chaos, the God of Destruction. I fear that the Pulse you know has been lost."

"What?" Lighting spoke, full of shock and sadness. She thought she had simply hit her head hard. Lowering the gunblade, she recalled her last moments on Pulse. She would never see Team Nora, Orbea, or Snow. It was all gone. This was worse than death. There was no chance of seeing her comrades again.

"Don't be scared." Cosmos spoke, with hope in her voice. "You are here and you can save your world."

"How?"

"By retrieving your world's crystal. Each world has a crystal, which represents the very essence…of that world." Cosmos, moaned slightly, and moved to sit down on her throne. Lightning dropped her weapon, and rushed forward. Before she could get further, Cosmos raised her free hand.

"I'm fine. I am just weak from the fight with Chaos. Just know that to the restore your world, you need to find the warrior that Chaos summoned from your world, defeat him or her, and retrieve the crystal. I am just sorry that I cannot stay with you…longer. But I will…continue to watch you. You can…do this."

"Are you sure?" Lightning replied.

"Have faith…in yourself…Lightning. Good Luck…"

With that Cosmos looked at Lightning, with a smile of her face. She then disappeared with a flash of light. Lightning was alone once again.

_I guess I should get going._

Lightning then stepped off the throne, picked up her gunblade and returned it to its holster, and then started walking. Whoever her opponent was, and whatever this crystal was, she was going to find it and get back to Pulse.

§————————————————————————————§


	7. Doubts and a New Ally

_Throne of Chaos Past_

The gathering of the villains was over and they had all scattered to find their targets. That was except for Noctis. Despite knowing all of the villains and a majority of the names of each of the Warriors of Cosmos, he had no clue as to who his opponent was. It irritated him. Not only that there were people who dared stand with this 'Goddess of Death", but that he could not just go to Cosmos directly. If she was the source of his problem, wouldn't the other villains attack her rather than these twelve little miscreants?

His ponderings were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Turning his gaze upwards, he saw the two sorcerers: Ultimecia and the Emperor.

"Noctis." The Emperor spoke, "Why are you still here? I surly thought that you would be out searching for your opponent."

"About that," Noctis replied, his eyes still avoiding contact with the two magicians. "I have no idea _who_ I am supposed to fight against. And what about these crystals?" He was going to add the detail about going directly to Cosmos, but decided to bit his tongue on that comment.

"I good time my boy, in good time." There was something in the way that the Emperor spoke that made Noctis uncomfortable…controlled. "I digress. The questions that you have are good ones. As to the first, Chaos himself does not know who Cosmos has summoned. It is a choice that each deity makes on his or her own terms. I am sure that there is a reason for this, perhaps a way to keep the field fair."

Ultimecia began to speak, as though she was continuing the Emperor's thought. "As to your question about the crystal, each one needs to be obtained" she was careful not to use the word stolen from the worlds, "so that Cosmos can be weakened even more. The crystals are her source of power, as there is one for each of the known worlds. To totally defeat the goddess, all of the crystals need to be obtained. Once they are, we will launch a final attack on Cosmos. Only then will she be destroyed."

It seemed like all of the prince's questions were answered. But still, something didn't feel right to him and he wasn't sure why.

Finally looking at the two, he spoke, "Alright. I'll start with what I have. Perhaps someone needs help with the warriors."

He then walked out of the shrine room with the full intention of finding this opponent of his and obtaining the crystal. And if the sorcerers were true to their word, then Cosmos would finally be destroyed.

§————————————————§

When Noctis was out of sight, Ultimecia turned to the Emperor.

"There's something about Noctis that does not seem right."

"Why do you say that, Ultimecia?"

"I feel as though he is not fully on our side."

This was cause for concern. The Emperor already knew of two of their own who were leaning to the Light. Some of their own like Sephiroth and Jecht had fought for Cosmos in the previous cycles. It was possible to change sides, but this war was too important to loose. They needed every single able body to fight.

"Are you saying Chaos has chosen the wrong warrior?"

"I am not sure, but let's keep an eye on him. If he tries anything that could cost us a crystal, I'll take care of him." Ultimecia looked at the Emperor, as an evil smirk formed on her face.

The Emperor gave a nodding approval. He chuckled softly and then raised his head. "I must apologize, my dear. There is a little rose that I need to weed out." With that, the two parted ways.

§————————————————————————————§

_Moon Canyon_

Lightning walked for what seemed like hours. Her head was swarming with questions. She was questioning whether or not to trust Cosmos, what she should be doing, where she should go. After some time, her mind and legs needed a rest. It was at that moment that she finally decided to look around.

The blue landscape of Cosmos's shrine had transformed into a large canyon, filled with deep blues and a lovely night sky. Looking into the sky, Lightning wondered just how many stars there were up there…if Pulse and Cocoon was one of those stars. The peaceful scene was disturbed by the sound of approaching footsteps. From it's sound, Lightning could tell that was someone wearing a ton of armor, perhaps a knight, who was walking from the east. Scanning the canyon, she saw a place where she could ambush the stranger. The spot, which was a few fifty feet above her, all depended on whether her gravity powers were still active in this new world. She looked on the index finger and thumb of her right hand, seeing the little buttons were still intact, and snapped the fingers together.

To her delight, a transparent blue field covered her entire body. She then crouched down and jumped. It only took her about ten seconds to scale the entire side of the canyon. She then found a large rock on the appropriate ledge, hid behind it, and then waited.

Sure enough, a man in heavy armor appeared. What caught her attention were the enormous yellow horns that projected off the sides of the man's helmet. Lightning was unsure if he was an enemy or on the side of Cosmos. But there was one way to find out. Picking up a rock, she threw it away from her, creating a distraction. Instantly, the man in the blue armor turned his head toward the sound and unsheathed his sword. Lightning seized the opportunity, and jumped down into the path behind the stranger.

The warrior felt a pressure on his back. He immediately froze, and began to speak.

"Who are you? Are you an enemy or friend?"

"That depends." Replied Lightning.

"On what?"

"If I like your answer. Turn around"

The warrior complied. When he turned around and saw Lightning's face, he immediately recognized her.

"Oh, I glad to see you Lightning!"

She was taken aback. "How do you know my name?" Lightning inquired.

"You are the warrior who was newly summoned by Cosmos." He spoke with a strong and determined voice. He then bowed before Lightning, which made her uncomfortable but she refused to show any emotion on her face. "I am the Warrior of Light, defender of Cornelia, rescuer of Princess Sarah, and slayer of the mighty Garland."

"Do you have a real name?" Lightning asked.

"That is my name," the Warrior of Light replied as he raised his head. "And you, are the powerful Lightning, the commander of Cocoon…"

"_Ex_-commander." Lightning interrupted sharply. "I defected from the army after the Holy Government assumed that I had been chosen by the crystals of Pulse to destroy their power and exiled me from the Holy City." She spoke with some distain and anger in her voice.

"You…you were chosen by the crystal? That is a great honor. None of the other Warriors of Cosmos were hand picked by the crystal."

"Tch. It's not an honor; it's more of a stigma and burden than a blessing."

The Warrior of Light seemed shocked by Lightning's words. The very inclination that one would be annoyed or distain the power of a crystal was unfathomable. Whatever had happened to Lightning must have been terrible. He decided not to pursue the topic further. "Well, there are ten others who are fighting against Chaos. You should meet them along the way."

"I assume then," strutting towards the Warrior of Light in a saunter befitting of a military general inspecting her troops, "that there are twelve warriors of Chaos and that I may encounter them, correct."

She received a nod of approval.

"How do I know who's an enemy?"

"Those of Chaos do not have the light with them."

Lightning cocked an eyebrow. She guessed that all of the talk of light was the reason that he was given the name Warrior of Light.

"Tell me, then…" she spoke turning to the warrior, "what are you fighting for? It seems that I am fighting to return home. What about you?"

The Warrior of Light smiled. "There is only one answer!" He took out his sword and shield, and made a posse toward Lightning that seemed to be his signature stance. "I fight for the light! I will fight to the end…even if there is no light left!"

Lightning contemplated this. It made sense that he would answer "light". Still, it seemed like a foolish thing to fight for. Glancing over to the Warrior of Light, she smirked slightly. "Well…I think it is best that we travel separately. If anything comes in my way," she tapped her gunblade, "I can take care of it. Good luck on your quest."

"You too, Lightning. The light is always with us!" He then turned around and walked out of the canyon. As soon as she was out of sight, Lightning put one of her hands to her head.

_If the other warriors are like this guy…Cosmos is doomed._


	8. The First Fights

_Pandaemonium_

Noctis had decided to stay with Gabranth, who seemed the sanest of all the Warriors of Chaos. After all, compared to Kefka's clown façade, Kuja's love of the theater, the Cloud of Darkness and Exdeath being obsessed with the void, anyone was normal.

The two were waiting for a certain black mage, Lady Shantotto, who was opposed to Gabranth and a boy by the name of Zidane, a thief. For some reason, Garland and Kuja were on a personal vendetta against the thief, wanting him eliminated more than any of the other warriors. Gabranth had been asked to go after Zidane. The judge had then decided to appoint Noctis to Shantotto.

"Remember young prince." Gabranth warned Noctis, "The Lady Shantotto is a most dangerous mage. Be careful."

"I think I can manage." As he spoke, the prince revealed his weapon: an enormous sword with an engine on the hilt. He also told Gabranth that he was blessed with the power of the dead, so he could handle himself against a puny mage.

And she was indeed puny. Both were! The prince almost laughed when he saw the two warriors. Each looked like a little kid: Zidane with his monkey tail wiggling around, and Shantotto being a midget with blond pony-tails.

From Zidane and Shantotto's perspective, the scene was just as comical.

"Well if it isn't a member of the tank core. To be honest, you all are such a bore. And this new fellow here, I certainly hope he'll leave screaming in fear. O-hohohohohohoho!" The tiny woman quickly spouted out.

"So what do you two want?" asked Zidane, knowing that it would be impossible to top Shantotto's rhyming speech.

"We are here to apprehend Zidane as ordered by Kuja" spoke Gabranth.

"Like that's going to happen." Scoffed Zidane, his monkey tail wagging through the air. "Shantotto, could you please show these two how we do things on team Cosmos."

The mage stepped forward, cracking her tiny knuckles. "With pleasure."

In an instant, the tiny mage whipped out a number of powerful spells, those of ancient magic, and flung them at the two opponents. Gabranth readied himself, but Noctis remained where he was. Just before the spells hit the two men, a spinning circle surrounded the two. The judge watched as all of the mage's spells were blocked!

Shantotto was just as shocked. No one could block one of her attacks. NO ONE! "Why you…" she fumed, throwing even more spells at the boy. But they kept getting blocked. Again and again. Noctis just stood there, staring at the little mage, blocking every attack that Shantotto threw at him. The truth was...he didn't want to fight her. She wasn't his opponent.

After a few dozen more blasts, Shantotto collapsed on the ground, exhausted. By this time, the cocky Zidane had taken a fighting stance and produced two long blades. Gabranth had then decided that he could finish the thief and a weakened Shantotto.

§————————————————————————————§

_Tower of Rubble_

Lightning hadn't stopped, not since she had encountered the Warrior of Light. It was odd; she could not get what he had said to her out of her head. He seemed so set about fighting for the light. But that was such a vague thing, especially since the light could be anything.

And his reaction to her comment about the crystal: _he acted as though I had committed a fallacy_. It was the truth though; she was supposedly destined to destroy the Government. And now she was stuck in middle of a search for a crystal. She wasn't even sure how to find this crystal. _It would be nice if someone would help her, or at least point her..._

"So…a new player has stepped on to the stage. And a lovely one at that."

A pale skinned man, with odd garments, and light lilac hair appeared in Lightning's path. _Just when I thought the Warrior of Light was bizarre, this guy comes along._

"Who are you supposed to be?" Lightning spoke, drawing her gunblade forward so that the stranger could see she was armed. She also assumed a fighting stance, trying to show that she was prepared to fight.

"Oh, my! This little cat has teeth. Alas, even the wildest cat can be tamed and caged."

"You didn't answer my question!" Lightning said with an annoyed snarl.

"Ta tat ah. I was getting to that. I am Kuja, and I will be the one who shall destroy you."

"I doubt that. Just get out of my way!"

"I am afraid I cannot. For my part in this little play is to stop you." Kuja suddenly began to float in the air. Five bright orbs then magically appeared around him. "Come, I will play a requiem for you!"

Three of the orbs were immediately shot in Lightning's direction. However, she was nimble and quick enough to dodge all three with swift back flip. The smoke that remained after the orbs hit the ground allowed for enough cover so that Lightning could land behind one of the glass tubes that lined the halls.

She quickly switched her sword to its gun mode. Making a note of how fast Kuja was flying, she jumped out, firing a few well placed shots. Somehow, perhaps by magic, the man was able to dodge each fire. In retaliation, he threw some newly formed blasts in her direction. As he did, Lightning heard his yell, "Dance for me!"

_Very well. I'll show you a dance. _Lightning snapped her fingers and flew her free hand in front of her. Instantly, a pale blue shield surrounded the woman. The orbs hit the barrier at full speed. As they smashed the protective barrier, the white orbs turned the same color of the barrier. Lightning smirked.

_Now for the fun part! _Lightning then jumped back, taking her hand that had created the barrier she swung it around her. As she did, the orbs went with her! After the balls had completed a full rotation around her, she aimed them right back at a stunned and surprised Kuja!

When the orbs had reached their target, Lightning snapped her fingers again. The blue barrier formed around her and she readied her gunblade's sword. And then, she jumped into the air. The force of the redirected blasts had caused Kuja to spin around, so that as Lightning neared him, he was facing her. He gasped as Lightning began her final attack. Using her sword, she hacked and slashed Kuja. He was a great with magic, but that was all he had.

With a final slash of the gunblade, Lightning finished Kuja off. He was thrown to the ground, a crater from the impact formed where he hit. After surveying the damage, Lightning floated down to the floor, the blue force field pulsing around her body. When her feet touched the ground, she snapped her right fingers, causing the gravity field to disappear. Pleased, she looked over at Kuja, who was trying to get up out of the crater.

"So…what do you have to say now?" Lightning said, drawing her sword once more.

"I…I…will not accept…defeat!"

Lightning grinned, "It looks like your bluffing."

"WRONG!"

An unknown voice echoed in the hall. Lightning was thrown off her guard, as she started scanning the room for the new presence. She didn't, however, see anyone.

"BLACK HOLE!"

Lightning looked down to see that the ground surrounding her had changed into a black pit. She tried to move, but she seemed trap. She snapped her fingers, trying to use her gravity powers to get out of the trap, but they were drained from her fight with Kuja. Desperate, she switched her weapon to its gun mode, and tried to shoot at the ground. But before she could do anything…

"Zap, zap!" and a loud laugh.

A surge of electricity went through her body. Already weak, the electric attack drained what ever strength was left. She collapsed on the ground, eyes closed in pain. Every once and a while, her body twitched as the extra electricity passed through her.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: The tank core joke is my own name for the three armored members of Chaos: Golbez, Exdeath, and Gabranth. I wish someone would make a picture of those three guys as tanks. LOL

Noctis' fights are going to be a little bit tricky because there is no game play of him fighting and all that we have seen are of him kicking serious but. As a result, the updates may come slower, as it is easer to write for Lightning than Noctis. In any case, enjoy!

P.S. I love hearing what you guys think about this story!


	9. Punishment and Escape

_Dream's End_

After dealing with Shantotto, Noctis decided that it would be best if he went on his own to find his opponent.

The disordering of the worlds was bizarre to the prince; one hour he could be in one world, and then in a completely different one the next hour. It was disorienting and incredible at the same time. There were so many worlds outside of his Tenebrae that he had never imagined. At this point in time, he was in some place that was known as Dream's End. It was supposedly the remains of a once powerful city that Jecht had lived in. The scene reminded him of his own kingdom.

"You coward!"

Noctis heard someone yelling. The voice was not far off. Walking a few hundred yards, prince found the source of the yell. It was a man, with wearing a military type outfit with a palindrome on one shoulder, and an enormous sword. To top it all off, the man had bright blond hair that seemed to defy every law of gravity known to mankind.

"That's quite a head of hair!" Noctis spoke as he sauntered towards the man.

The stranger turned around, revealing a pale complexion and bright blue eyes. They seemed to look at the young prince with annoyance.

"Who are you supposed to be?" the blond asked.

"Someone who is trying to attain a crystal." Noctis replied.

"So…you're on the side of Cosmos?" He had hoped that perhaps this stranger was the newest warrior that he heard about at the palace of Shinryu.

"No. Chaos."

The blond seemed confused with what the prince had just said. It was Chaos who had started this war. And the crystals, he thought, were in his possession and the warriors of Cosmos were the ones who were seeking the crystals to help the goddess. This kid, whoever he was and where he came from, was completely off.

"I don't have time for this." he hurriedly spoke, trying to get away as fast as possible. He had just encountered Sephiroth and the general spoke of certain plans for him that would happen at the remains of the Northern Crater. He was sure that the general was speaking of the crystal.

Noctis was taken aback. "You're not going to fight me?!"

"No."

"Why not?" the prince asked.

"Because," the man replied calmly, "You don't want to fight yourself. You seem unsure with yourself. You might be an excellent swords man, but you are still young and have a lot to learn."

"Do not insult me!" Noctis could feel a power burning inside of him.

"I was not; I was only stating what I could tell from your speech."

"Do. Not. Insult. Me." The power was building more and more. The prince clenched his fists together.

"Hm. You need to learn to take criticism."

"NO!" the stoic face of the prince melted. His eyes opened, revealing their color had changed to a sickly red. From out of nowhere, his sword materialized in his hand. The prince ran forward. The man was unfazed, as he whipped out an enormous, long sword, and blocked the prince's attack.

Blue eyes met red, as the prince snarled at his opponent. The SOLDIER was impressed. The young man had strength, but he was reckless. He thought another few blows, and then the battle would be over. It was then he heard a sound that seemed similar to glass breaking.

Noctis was the man's face turn white with horror, looking at the field of spinning, light blue swords, form around the prince. In an instant, the man jumped back, barely dodging the twister of weapons. He had never seen anything like this before. He was not sure what to do, but he remained calm.

The prince commanded the whirling storm of weapons to stop, forming a sickly, spiked set of wings behind him. He then directed the objects to face the man. With a roar he shot them forward.

"Noctis!" a voice screamed. As the voice spoke, everything stopped! Opponent, the swords, everything, except for Noctis. From out of nowhere Ultimecia appeared.

"What do you want?" Noctis roared, with his scarlet eyes glaring at the sorceress.

"Cloud is not your opponent."

Noctis felt his power subside. As it did, the color of his eyes faded from red to their dark grey blue. The swords also evaporated, and the large weapon in his hand disappeared, returning to nothingness. He began to breathe deeply and slowly.

"Good. It is best to leave the opponent of Sephiroth alone." The sorceress wanted to resolve this as quickly was possible. "Come with me, Kefka and Exdeath have captured your opponent. They're waiting for you."

That caught the prince's attention. _Finally, I can come one step closer to killing Cosmos._

With out another word, Noctis stepped into the portal that Ultimecia had made, with renewed determination. His fight with the blond man would have to wait.

§————————————————————————————§

_Pandaemonium to Moon Canyon_

"What should we do with our little bird?"

_What happened to me? The last time I was awake, I was…shocked by a thunder attack. Now where am I?_

"I say we brainwash the little brat, with some whips and chains here, a little water bucket there, and…tada! use her to get the other warriors."

"NO. I was told by Garland to bring her directly to the prince. She needs to face him so we can get her crystal."

_The prince? A crystal?_

"**Come-on** armor head! Think of the power she has…"

"NOT EVERYTHING WE DO IS ABOUT YOU GETTING TERRA BACK ON OUR SIDE, KEFKA!"

_Who is that?_

She slowly opened her eyes, trying to see where she was. Her whole body was in pain. It took all of her strength to keep herself from grunting and revealing her status.

"Please, you two are worse than that old hag and her little cabana boy!"

"What about the girl?"

"Enough". A fourth person entered the area. "Kefka, Kuja, Exdeath. Jecht wants to speak with you."

"What does that muscle-headed freak want now?"

"I do not know. He just wanted to see you three. I will ask the Cloud of Darkness to guard the girl. She will soon return from her battle with the Onion Knight."

After a moment of silence, the three figures left. Lightning kept her eyes closed, afraid of what might happen if she opened them again. Then, the footsteps of the other person in the room drew closer. Lightning's numbed body tensed where it could, preparing herself for what would happen to her. As the footsteps stopped, the side of her arm felt the cold sensation of iron. The person was right above her, but she refused to look up. She instead whispered, "Please, don't hurt me."

He must have heard her, because he whispered back, "Don't worry. I am a supporter of the goddess. Just relax and I will take care of everything."

A weight was lifted from Lightning's chest, and she allowed her mind to rest, even if she was in a more unconscious state than actual sleep. As she rested the person, whoever he was, transported her to the Moon Canyon, where she had met the Warrior of Light. After an hour or so Lightning awoke feeling refreshed and renewed with strength. Right beside her was the person who had saved her: a dark armored man, with gold and black details on the armor.

"I'm glad that you are awake. Your weapon is right behind you." His voice was muffled by the enormous helmet he wore.

Lightning turned around to see her precious gunblade. She picked it up and returned it to the holster on her back. Turning to the stranger she said, "I…don't know how to thank you."

The armored man stood up. "It's no problem. Those three are completely insane. All they want is to destroy everything and send it into the void. What may I call you?"

"Lightning." She responded in a kind and sincere manner.

"I am Golbez, the brother of Cecil."

"I'm sorry, I don't know of any Cecil. I'm new to this place."

"I had a feeling that you were new. The way that Kefka and Exdeath talked about you, it was as if you were a new species."

Lightning felt comfortable with Golbez. It was as if that enormous armored body housed an actual living being, with a heart. "Are you, by any chance, on the side of Cosmos? You said you supported the goddess."

Golbez paused, as though he was deep in thought. "I was. I think that I may still be bound by the light. But…I did things that I am ashamed of, since the last time I came here. I would only taint the purity of Cosmos by my filthy stigma. I am apart of the darkness for now.

"I only hope that Cecil has forgiven me, for what I did in abandoning him."

_Whoever this Cecil is_, Lightning thought, _he must be incredibly important to Golbez._

"You remind me of someone from my home." Lightning mused, thinking of Snow.

"Is that a friend from Tenebrae?"

"Where?"

"You're from Tenebrae are you not? That is was where Noctis is from."

"No, I am from Pulse and Cocoon. And I have no idea who Noctis is." She was confused. Perhaps this Noctis was her opponent.

Golbez was taken aback. He then muttered something incoherent: "The thirteenth world seems to be one of many stories…"

"What are you talking about?"

Not hearing her, the man continued, "but one crystal binds them."

The sound of a portal opening, and a very loud sing-song voice interrupted the quite scene.

"Lightning. Oh Lightning. Come out and play!"

Lightning turned to Golbez. "It's Kefka! What…" Golbez placed a hand over her mouth, silencing her. He then motioned Lightning to move toward one of the crevices in the canyon, out of sight from the clown. Golbez then created a portal in the side of the canyon.

"Use this. It will take you away from here. Quickly."

Lightning turned to Golbez, "Thank you". She then jumped into the portal, not knowing where she would end up. But at least it was away from that crazy clown.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: Yes yes, I know. Fan girls squeal at Cloud and Noctis. I know it could never happen, but I am assuming that it has. Also, I love Golbez. I have a feeling that this is not the last time we shall see these two characters.


	10. A Change

_Ultimecia's Castle_

It turned out that his opponent had gotten away. Kefka, Exdeath, and Kuja had somehow left the warrior alone. At the moment, the three were being punished by Garland for being careless. In the time they were gone, she, at least Kefka reported that the opponent was a she before he skipped out to work on his little pet project, had vanished. The three claimed Golbez had promised to watch her. But somehow, she had knocked the armored man unconscious and had escaped.

Noctis had a hard time believing that Golbez was telling the truth. From what he had gathered, Golbez was very much still a supporter of Cosmos, but had done some actions between wars in Dissidia that he felt were unfitting of a Warrior of Cosmos. He truly believed that Golbez had helped the girl escape. Unfortunately, he was in hot water for getting in the way of Sephiroth's opponent.

Trying to plan his next steps, Noctis decided it was best to let the other warriors fight with his opponent. That way, he could prepare for the fight with her. He also contemplated the thought of just going directly to Cosmos. It was still an option, but he would wait until the opportune and last moment to do that. In the mean time, he would patently wait.

§————————————————————————————§

_World of Darkness_

Lightning had jumped out of Golbez's portal to find herself in a world dominated by purple pillars and matching tiled floors. A quick sweep of the area revealed no one else there. Relieved, she found a pillar and sat on the ground. Realizing that she had not slept since she was at Cosmos' Shrine, Lightning closed her eyes, and quickly fell into a deep slumber, her scarlet cape as a makeshift blanket, her gunblade right above her head in reach of her hands.

Her dreams were peaceful. It was filled with images of Pulse, of Snow and the rest of team Nora, and of the Forest in Pulse, where there was an actual sun and moon. Suddenly, a loud and scary laugh interrupted Lightning's sleep. She jumped to her feet, grabbed her weapon, ran to one of the nearby stone pillars and hid behind it.

"That was quite a show you put on!"

Lightning peered behind the pillar to see two people, a woman and a little boy. She could not make out the details of their outfits or faces because she was viewing them from behind. And they were talking with…Kefka!

_What is he doing here?_

"As expected of my bestest buddy. What magnificent destruction!" the clown spoke.

"Kefka...!" replied the woman, "What are you scheming?"

"Why, I came to get your strength. Dearie, you're much more suited to serve under Chaos than that measly little Cosmos, aren't ya?"

This information seemed to confuse the woman. "What do you mean?"

"What's this? You don't remember a thing! All right, all right I'll tell you! With that amazing power you possess, why, you hurt your precious..."

"Stop it!" The voice of the third person spoke.

_I wonder if the other two are Warriors of Cosmos._

"Huh? What does the poor baby victim want to say?" replied the clown. "Such a beautiful friendship... Please stop. It's making me want to vomit!"

"What are you talking about?" said the woman. She then paused as though realizing something horrible "It can't be..."

"BINGO! It **can** be! You really tore into your little friend over there. Ha! You looked like you were having so much fun, too! And you here went and forgot the whole thing! What a dangerous being you are! Fighting for the sake of fighting, unable to control your power. Running wild like a crazy beast, your power is the very **epitome** of destruction!"

His words made Lightning shiver.

"You're lying..."

""Lying" my but! You did something like this."

Lightning watched as Kefka created a tiny fireball, which then exploded in front of the two fighters. The screams of surprise were muffled by another cracking laugh.

"How was that? I'll show you more of the power of destruction! Your enemies, your allies, the world. Let's destroy, no, massacre EVERYTHING! Together!"

Another light appeared. Lightning shielded her eyes. Kefka was laughing like an insane man. The light soon disappeared; she hoped that Kefka was gone as well. Her wish came true when she saw that the clown was gone, but so was the young boy. Only the woman remained. Then the woman began to speak.

"Where did they go? I have to go find them, but...I don't want to be alone... Without him, I'm helpless..." she then began to sniff her nose, as though she were beginning to cry.

Lightning rushed out from her hiding place and ran toward the woman. She had apparently heard the footsteps and turned around to see Lightning.

"Please…don't hurt me." She timidly spoke, placing her palms in the air, as though she would attack Lightning with some sort of spell.

"Calm down. I'm not here to fight you. I recently escaped that freaky clown's grasp." Lightning had put her gunblade in its holster and was trying her best to show the stranger that she had no intention of battling her. She finally saw what the woman looked like. She was young, perhaps a few years older than Lightning, with light blond wavy hair that was tied in a single ponytail. The woman wore a red halter dress, that was decorated with flower details. Her boots and gloves matched the dress. Around her waist were multiple sashes and cloth belts of various yellows and purples. Her eyes contrasted the ensemble by being a light, gentle blue.

"Are…are you for Cosmos."

"Yes." Lightning walked over to the woman, who began to smile.

"I'm Lightning."

"Terra Branford."

Lightning smiled. She was happy to meet another Warrior of Cosmos. But she also remembered that Kefka would be after them now.

"We should probably get out of here before someone else comes along." Terra nodded in agreement and the two began to walk out of the area.

"So, Terra, where are you from?"

§————————————————————————————§


	11. Trouble

_Throne of Cosmos_

Golbez had been concerned by Lightning's words and decided to seek help. He dare not tell Chaos, or any of the other Warriors of Destruction. And though he would love to converse with the other Warriors of Cosmos, he felt they were too wrapped up in finding the crystals to help him. That left only one person: Cosmos.

"So…" he started, "you are aware of it?"

Cosmos replied: "Yes. I am also aware of the consequences... But as long as the Crystals have light, they will not disappear."

"But this is such a dangerous gamble. No, rather... Is this the way a Goddess should behave? You know, whenever the God of Discord or the Goddess of Harmony is defeated, the dragon will descend and restart everything. The defeated god will revive, the soldiers will return, and... the war will begin anew. And the cycle..."

"I understand Golbez; I have lived through to many such cycles."

"Cosmos, what you plan to do is only a temporary solution. If your last hope were to fail... Without the light, they would meet their true demise."

"Their true demise... Are you saying they would be doomed to a fate of eternal discord?"

"Yes... They would drown in an eternity of despair."

Now this was becoming her problem. If she died now, the cycle would indeed break, but Chaos would win. She wanted to end the cycle, but it seemed that her removal form the battle would only spell destruction for the balance in Dissidia. There would be no hope for the worlds of the crystal or for…Lightning.

"Have you met with Lightning or her opponent?"

"She was the main reason I sought you out. I have also met with her opponent. He is a young prince named Noctis from the Kingdom of Tenebrae."

"Tenebrae? Lightning hails from a place called Pulse."

"Does this bother you?"

"It does. I thought that there was a definite connection between each of the warriors, and his or her opponent."

"What does it mean?"

"I…I do not know. I only hope that Lightning will be able to face him when the time comes."

Golbez, pleased with what he had told the goddess, turned to leave. "Golbez," Cosmos spoke, "I can sense that there is still light inside of your heart. You need not fear about tainting the light with your past darkness. I believe Cecil feels the same way." The goddess then disappeared.

_Cosmos, I fear your kindness will be your downfall._

§————————————————————————————§

_Planet's Core_

In the short amount of time that Lightning had been with Terra, she had learned many things about the young warrior. About how she had also fought for an oppressive government, how each defected from the army and the resistance group they had joined. Though Lightning disliked company, she found Terra to be a welcoming partner to travel with. The only problem that Lightning had with Terra was that she was too timid in her fighting, as though she was trying to hold something back. But other than that, Lighting was enjoying her new companion's company.

"So, how did you end up here?" Terra asked. They had been traveling for sometime and had arrived at a place made of floating platform formations and a backdrop of light green ribbons whirling around the entire area, as though they were in the eye of a great hurricane.

"I'm not sure. I was in the middle of fighting some PSICOM soldiers, and the bridge I was on collapsed. When I woke up, I was in Dissidia."

Terra's eyes widened for a moment, realizing something. "You must have come from the thirteenth world."

"The thirteenth world?"

"There were twelve worlds that were engaged in this war when it began, and the thirteenth world, your world, was allowed by the great dragon Shinryu."

"Shinryu? Who is he?"

"She is the embodiment of balance. Chaos and Cosmos were having trouble in allowing the newest world into the conflict."

This annoyed Lightning. Her world had done nothing to have deserved the fate Cosmos had described to her. All the warrior wanted now was to return home. "Do you know by any chance who my opponent is?"

"I don't…" Before Terra could finish, she grabbed her head.

"Are you alright?" Lightning asked.

Terra's body began to emit a purple aurora. Objects on the ground began to float beside her. Something was not right.

"Terra! Terra!"

She turned to look at Terra, horrified to see Terra's normally blue eyes a violent and sickly yellow. Terra's body had also begun to sprout short purple hairs. Her delicate hands and feet were extending, forming sharp, red claws. Her tame ponytail blond hair was waving wildly about, becoming a light purple and growing longer.

"What's happening!?" Terra spoke, her voice was shifting between her soft normal voice and to something that sounded like a beast, "My body is... I…can't control…my power!"

Lightning stepped away from her companion, gunblade drawn and prepared to fight. Terra let out a groan, which sounded like a lion's roar. If Terra tried to attack Lightning, she would have no choice but to take her out. Lightning then heard footsteps from a ledge nearby her. Looking up, she saw a young man, wearing purple clothes, with a head hair that was spiked like a chocobo and crystal blue eyes. Immediately, she pointed her weapon towards the man, believing him to be an enemy.

"Ligh…get…get…out of here!" Screamed Terra.

"No. I can't leave you, Terra!" was the only response Lightning could think of.

Turning her attention to the man, she saw him unsheathe an enormous sword. Now she was in trouble. She would have no choice but to fight the two. Before she could act, Lightning saw a large black feather fall to the ground behind the blond fighter. Looking, up she gasped: above him was a man in a black coat, with silver hair and green eyes, who was watching the scene bellow with a cruel smile on his face.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUN!


	12. Roses and Wings

_Crystal World_

Noctis needed to get away from the other warriors of Chaos. It was stifling being around so many people. He had finally found this disordered world, a world of crystals that seemed quiet. Finding a place to sit, Noctis began to reflect on what was happening to him.

He still didn't know the name of his opponent, only that it was a girl. It crossed his mind that Stella could be the woman. She was the only woman who he could see pose a significant threat to him. But that did not seem correct. Nothing made sense in this world. Up was down and right seemed wrong. The prince then thought that some sword practice would help ease his thoughts.

Reaching his hand out, he commanded that his sword appear. It instantly materialized. He then started sparring with an imaginary partner, pretending to dodge and block, trying his hardest not to use his enchantments and spells. After a few rounds, the prince noticed there was someone watching him from the other side of the area. Squinting, Noctis saw that the man was holding no weapons and was clapping! He decided to walk towards the man.

"Those were impressive moves." The man spoke, with a gentle voice.

Noctis blushed slightly, "Thanks". He had never seen the stranger before, meaning he was probably a Warrior of Cosmos. But at this point in time, the prince did not want anymore trouble from Chaos.

"I do not believe we have met before. I'm Firion." He extended a hand to the prince.

"Prince Noctis."

"Oh, I must apologize," he preformed a quick kneel. "I did not mean to dishonor a member of a royal family."

"It's alright. I'm just glad to meet someone here." That was the truth. Noctis was getting tired of the silence.

"Prince, can I ask you something?" Firion questioned. "Why are you fighting?"

It was a good question, but Noctis thought it would be better if he waited till Firion gave his answer. The prince decided to fib. "I do not know what you mean? Could you give me your answer?"

Firion smiled. "Of course, your highness. I am fighting for a dream: a world where all of the wild roses can be free." A perfectly shaped rose appeared in his hand. Noctis could not help but smirk at the simplistic nature of that wish. "So what about you?"

"To live forever. I fear death, and so I intend to defeat it" was the response Noctis gave. He decided not to tell Firion that he was on the side of Chaos. As soon as he had mentioned the word 'freedom', the prince knew without a doubt the stranger was a fighter for Cosmos. There would be no wild roses in the world of his master. "Firion, may I duel with you? You seem like an honorable opponent."

Firion thought about the strange request, but then replied, "It would be an honor to fight a member of royalty such as you."

He produced a long, narrow red sword, and positioned himself exactly opposite Noctis.

"Now, come at me!" Yelled Firion.

The two men sparred against each other for what seemed like out hours. They had agreed that only one weapon could be used per person and that no magic could be used. It would only be a fight of skill, each man showing the other what they could do with a weapon. For the first time in a while, Noctis was enjoying himself.

After what seemed like hours, Firion stopped attacking and walked up to Noctis. "I feel terrible saying this, but I have a feeling there are a few people who are looking for me."

"I understand" Noctis spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice. "It was a pleasure fighting you Firion. I hope…that both our dreams come true."

"Same with you, prince." Firion bowed, and then left.

When Noctis was finally alone, Exdeath appeared. "NOCTIS! HE WAS A WARRIOR OF COSMOS! WHY DID YOU LET HIM GO?"

"I just needed to fight someone. Besides, he had no idea that I was on the side of Chaos."

"THE OTHER WARRIORS MIGHT CONSIDER YOUR ACTION TO BE A LEANING TO COSMOS. DON'T LET YOUR EMOTIONS BLIND YOU."

"I still intend to go after the crystal."

§————————————————————————————§

_Planet's Core_

Lightning wanted to stay and protect Terra, but she had a feeling that the person in front of her had a plan. It was something about his blue, sapphire eyes; the showed determination and focus on Terra. Somehow, she knew he wanted to help her, and that she should trust him. At that moment, Lightning made eye contact with the young man. She shifted her eyes and head upwards a little. He seemed to follow the hint. But just to be sure, she stated "She's all yours." With that, she snapped her right fingers, creating a fully charged gravity pulse. In an instant, she had leapt into the air and was right above the silver haired man. As she began to descend, Lightning balled her fist, and attempted to punch the observer. At the last moment, the man dodged out of the way.

The man then replied to Lightning's fist with a punch of his own. But Lightning escaped the hit by flipping backwards. She landed perfectly on her feet, with the gunblade's sword pointed in the man's directions.

"Hm. Impressive." He told Lightning. Something about this man gave Lightning chills, just like Kefka. The very air round this man seeped with darkness. She quickly noticed he was carrying a long silver sword: a masamune.

"Is that jumping ability of yours natural or a gift?" He laughed, still refusing to look directly at Lightning. Finally, he turned to face her, his slit green eyes glancing over Lightning, as if he were examining every detail of the warrior. "So…Do you think you can stop me?"

He then lunged toward Lightning. She was quick to move her blade to counter his sword. Grunting, Lightning pushed back against the man. He was obviously strong, and could probably beat her. Yet she noticed that his blade was his main attach. She took a gamble that her fire and thunder attack would damage him.

Lightning jumped back and yelled, "_Eternal fire_!" Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared in her right hand and she thrust the spell toward her challenger. He was certainly surprised, but remained cool. The blast of heat was enough to burn anything. When the smoke cleared, the spot where the man had been was empty. Lightning looked around, realizing he was right above her.

"Did you think you could beat me that easily?" came his cool, collected voice.

Lightning looked up to see that the edge of his blade was thrust downward. He was going to impale her! Lightning immediately snapped her fingers and focused her energy. As the blade reached a few inches from her head, a light blue bubble surrounded her. Yellow sparks flew off where the sword and bubble struck. Lightning then jumped up, the bubble beginning to fade. As she reached the man, he looked up, with a tiny hint of fear in his eyes. She switched the gunblade to gun mode, smirked, and directly opened fire on the man. The whole action took only a few seconds.

The impact of the gunshots made the man cover his face, while simultaneously dropping the masamune on the ground. As he was trying to recover, Lightning landed on the ground, ran forward and gave the man a good punch in the face. She smiled as she watched the man fall off the pillar.

She then waited to hear the satisfying thud. But it never came. Confused, Lightning walked toward the edge, wanting to see what was going on. There was no sign of the man. Lightning did see a beastly Terra, who was flinging ice, fire, and wind attacks at the blond man. She was impressed at how well he was able to fight off Terra.

The sound of a flapping wing caught her attention. Turning around, she saw the silver haired man…floating in the air…with a large black wing on his right side! She wondered exactly how he had managed to suddenly sprout that wing. It also became apparent that he had become more powerful, as he was now beginning to shoot meteors at her. The only option Lightning saw that would give her a fighting chance was to take the battle to the air.

She clicked her fingers, the gravity field forming around her. She then leaped off the platform, and began floating around. It was hard dogging not only the floating pillars that dotted the green, murky air around her, but also the meteor attacks, and the occasional elemental blasts from an out of control Terra. It was all too much. After three minutes of being completely airborne, Lightning felt a pain on her back.

The girl fell out of the air, slamming into a platform. It happened so fast that one moment, Lightning could feel the hit one moment and then the next was paralyzed on the ground. The gravity field was blinking in and out of sight, as she tried to get up. The sound of the one wing flapping filled her ears. A slight laugh came from the man, as he looked down at his target.

All the while, a force had been growing inside of Lightning. She had been letting it build ever since the fight with Kuja. Seeing as this was the perfect time to use it, she raised her right hand, having to move her body into a kneeling position in order to get her hand up, then looked up at the one winged man. Determination in her eyes, she screamed: "FERRUM DURO"!

Seeing that something was happening, the man decided now was the time to finish the girl off. "Now…accept defeat. Or I will have to teach you a permanent lesson." Lowering his body and raising his sword, swooped down to finish his prey off.

She then began to focus all of her energy and magic into her hand. A ball of blue energy, no larger than a pearl, began to formed in her right hand. Looking above her, she watched as her opponent's figure grew closer and closer. Judging by how fast he was moving, she had about ten seconds before he hit. Making a mental note, she started a countdown in her head.

_Ten…_

The ball of blue force was now the size of a ping-pong ball. She focused more, not trying to look at the falling man.

_Nine…_

The ball was now the size of an apple.

_Eight…_

_L_ightning's hand flattened, as she could no longer grasp the orb in her hands.

_Seven…_

She used her left hand to take out her gunblade, switching it to sword.

_Six…_

Then taking her gunblade, she crossed the blade over the ball, causing all of the orb's energy to attach itself to the blade's edge.

_Five…_

Halfway down the blade. The sound of the long black coat whipping around in the air was becoming louder.

_Four…_

Almost done. The man's green, malicious eyes were visible now.

_THREE…_

There was no energy left. And the sword's edge changed to a fiery red.

_TWO…_

She saw the man was within a few feet. She steadied herself and prepared for the worst.

_NOW!_

BANG! Just as the masamune hit Lightning, she had swung her sword, with all of her remaining force. It created a red wave. As the force was leaving the blade, she heard a loud "UGH!" It was a direct hit! She then listened for a crash on the ground, but no sound came. As the debris cleared from the air, Lightning saw no visible sign of the man she had been fighting.

He had just vanished into thin air! Lightning then tuned her ears, trying to listen for the sound of a flapping wing. Nothing. He was gone. Sighing, she slumped forward, just now noticing that there were multiple cuts and marks on her body. Her back was aching were the meteors had hit her, making it difficult her to breath. But she was alive. Somehow, she fought him off.

Suddenly, a scream from Terra got her attention. "Kyaaaaaaa!!" She watched as her companion fell from the sky, as the young man also fell with her. His fall was broken by a floating rock. He got up, but Terra was still falling toward another platform. Lightning readied herself to break Terra's fall.

To her relief, Terra landed safely on the ground. Her beast body morphed into her human state. Lightning looked down to see the girl wobble slightly. "I…need to rest... Just…a…little..." escaped her lips. With that, she started to fall. Lightning had no idea why, but she immediately jumped from where she was, and rushed forward to Terra, just in time to catch her falling comrade, with a few inches of air to spare.

The young man jumped down to where the two women were. "Are you two all right?" the young man asked. As Lightning saw him run over to Terra, she pulled out her gun and held it in his direction, just in case he was in fact in allegiance with Chaos.

"Lightning, it's alright." A weak but firm Terra spoke up, seeing Lightning point the gun at the man. "Cloud's…one of us."

"He is?" Lightning replied. She looked at the figure. "Why did he fight you, then?" The only reason Lightning asked was to find his true motives.

"I," Cloud paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. For some reason, this friend of Terra eerily reminded him of himself, not just in actions but in looks as well. There was something about the woman's eyes; they were cold and piercing as if she were examining every breath and detail of his actions. "I couldn't just abandon Terra while she was in that state. I couldn't think of what else to do. I recognized Terra, but not you." His eyes gazing at Lightning.

Lightning's face and pose relaxed. "You were fighting Terra so that you could calm her down." Cloud nodded. Lightning thought through the action he took, realizing that the young man was smart. He had not tried to physically hurt Terra, nor had he gotten hurt himself. The fact that he could hold off Terra was impressive.

"I'm sorry." Cloud spurted out. "I should have tried talking to you first. I probably should have left you two alone when Terra said so."

"No, you did the right thing." Lightning responded.

Terra added a quick thank you. Cloud waved his hands in front of him. "No, please don't thank me. I didn't do anything that was worth praise or thanks. But really, anything would have been better than how I acted back there."

"Why are you hesitating?" Lightning responded quickly. She could not believe how doubting and insecure Cloud was about his actions. From the way he acted and responded, he did what was necessary and right. He had even listened to her when she had eyed that other man and protected Terra. But all that mattered now was that the job was done and the fight was over.

"Who were you fighting?" Cloud asked, trying to get the conversation off of his character flaws.

"A man. Had long silver hair, green eyes, and a single wing." As she spoke, Lightning pulled out one of the black feathers that had fallen from his single wing.

"Sephiroth." Responded Cloud, with annoyance in his voice. "I had a feeling that he would stick around after I beat him."

"You know him?" Lightning inquired.

"He and I go way back. He's the opponent from my world and the one who took the crystal."

"Crystal!" Terra piped up, "Did…did you…"

"Get it? Yes."

Terra's blue eyes smiled. Lightning was now intrigued. She had never actually seen a crystal before. She certainly knew of the crystals, from the stories and myths she had learned of in Pulse and from Orbea. But she had never seen one in person. "Can I see your crystal?" Lightning asked, not sure what to expect.

Cloud shook his head once and held out his left hand. A small spark appeared above his palm. Out of it, a small, perfectly circular white orb appeared, hovering in mid-air. The little ball was no bigger than an egg. Lightning stared at the little orb with awe and wonder. _So this is the cause of all this trouble. These tiny little crystals. Amazing!_

"I guess each world has a different crystal." Terra spoke. Lightning looked at Terra with an inquisitive look. "Oh, the Onion Knight's crystal is larger; more ellipses shaped, and is greenish blue in color."

Cloud saw an opportunity to jump into the conversation. "Speaking of the Onion Knight how did you two cross paths? I thought that the little knight was protecting you Terra?"

"Well, Cloud…" Terra explained what had happened. How the Onion Knight had obtained his crystal from the Cloud of Darkness and rescued her from the witch's grasp. How he was now helping her find her crystal, and how Kefka had separated the two, and how Lightning had appeared out of no where and they decided to work together. Lightning remained silent the whole time, trying to learn anything new about how her crystal could be obtained.

"I see." Cloud spoke after Terra's story was done. "I'll help you two."

"Really?" Terra spoke. "Thank you!"

"Lightning, what about you?"

As much as Lightning wanted to stay, she needed to find her crystal as soon as possible. "Terra, will you be alright with Cloud? I think I need to find my crystal on my own."

"Why, are you afraid of others?" Terra asked, with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"No. I have to find my own path. I have a feeling the sooner I find my crystal, the safer Pulse an… my world will be."

"Very well then." Cloud told Lightning, "Good Luck."

Before she could leave, Terra ran to Lightning and hugged her. Lightning jerked a little; she was never the hug person of Team Nora – that was Orbea's specialty. Still, she could not help but return the hug with one of her own, seeing how she and Terra were very similar in their background and fighting.

"Thanks for the company, Lightning! I hope that you find your crystal too." Terra then opened Lightning's hand and placed one of her beaded bracelets into the fighter's hand. "Keep it as a lucky charm. A little thanks from a friend"

Lightning stared at the delicate bracelet. "Thank you Terra."

Terra then walked over to Cloud, and the two walked out of the crater. Lightning continued to stare at the little bracelet. Finally, she put it on her left arm, and smiled.

_A friend…That sounds…lovely._

§————————————————————————————§


	13. An Interlude

_Tower of Rubble_

Sephiroth had teleported to the Tower of Rubble after having fought Lightning. He assumed that the young woman with pink hair was from the thirteenth world. For some reason, the girl reminded him of his puppet Cloud. She was certainly stubborn and well trained, like Cloud, but she seemed to be more in control of who she was and what her purposes were. She was also quite powerful, as that final attack could have done more damage, had he not teleported out of the area.

In a way, he wished that he could have her as a puppet. It would be nice to have a puppet who was not a complete failure.

"How was the fight, Sephiroth?"

The general looked up, to see Noctis.

"Ah, it was rather tame. I was hoping to see some actual blood."

"What happened?"

"Cloud was alone for some time. I thought I could get him under my control again, but I was interrupted. Two other warriors of Cosmos, young woman, came into the crater. One lost control of her powers, and the other defended her by coming after me. Pitiful that the strong should protect the weak..." The general's final thought trailed off.

"So Lady Shantotto and Terra are together now? I thought Terra was alone after Kefka lured the Onion Knight away from her."

"Terra was indeed there, but Lady Shantotto was not her companion."

Now the prince was intrigued.

"What did this woman look like?"

"She was about your height, small build, wielded a sword and gun type weapon, could levitate, and has light pink hair. She looks a lot like my puppet."

"Get a name?"

Sephiroth turned to leave, planning to work on other projects.

"Her name is Lightning. And I think she is the one you are looking for."

Noctis smiled.

_At last, a name! Now all I have to do is find this Lightning and defeat her._

§————————————————————————————§

_Crystal World_

Lightning gazed at Terra's bracelet. She was not the one to wear jewelry. Again, that was Orbea's job, as she had dozens of bracelets and almost as many necklaces she wore in various amounts. Lightning wondered if the young girl would like the piece. Quietly, she shrugged her shoulders and started to gaze out over this new world.

"I am glad to see you are alright." It was a kind, womanly voice that Lightning knee instantly.

"Cosmos." Lightning turned around to see the goddess.

"So, how are the other warriors doing?" the warrior asked, walking toward Cosmos.

"They are well. The crystals are being found, and the Warriors of Chaos are being defeated." There was a slight pause. "I came to talk to you, Lightning."

"About what?"

"I" she was careful in choosing her words. "I just wanted to learn more about you."

"Why?"

"When I choose a warrior, I often spend sometime really learning and thinking about each person, what their strengths are, past, and so forth. But I had to summon you very quickly, so I know very little about you."

"Oh. Well, what do you know?"

The goddess laughed a little. "I know you were chosen by your world's crystal and that you are a very strong and worthy fighter." She then explained how she had watched, in spirit, Lightning fight with the members of Chaos.

"Thank you Cosmos." Lightning spoke. It was nice to hear some compliments. "Could I perhaps ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do you know anything about my opponent? I still have no idea who he or she is nor have I encountered anyone who really knows who that person his."

"I do," the goddess spoke, "Your enemy is a young man, a prince named Noctis Caelum."

"A prince? I…I do not know any one by that name nor any princes from Cocoon. I think all the royalty was dissolved by the Holy Government before I was born."

"I see." It became apparent to Lightning that Cosmos knew little about her world.

"Are you sure it is not someone from the Holy Government? Perhaps one of the high officials or a PSICOM general?"

"No. It is the young prince."

Lightning began to grow worrisome. She would be fighting a person whom she knew little about, and had no idea what his styles were. She supposed that there would be time for planning, but that would come later. "Could…could I talk to you, Cosmos?"

The goddess looked at Lightning, her soft and gentle eyes twinkling "Of course."

"Were you always a goddess?"

"No. I was…I was once a mortal, just like yourself" Cosmos looked at Terra, their eyes meeting each other. "I had a husband and a child."

"You must have been a wonderful mother."

Cosmos bowed her head, "I hope I was a good mother. My son…he never cared about me and my husband. To tell you the truth, I don't think he ever loved me." As the goddess spoke, Lightning listened. She had no idea that Cosmos had had a life before her ascension to goddess. It also pained her to hear that she had been a mother.

After some time, Lightning began to talk, "To tell you the truth, I wish I could remember my mother. There's not much about my life before meeting Snow that I know of. The Holy Government did something that caused my memory, my past to completely disappear. It seems like all I know is that I was in the military for a long time."

"The hardest part about being a goddess is that I am not allowed to interfere with the other worlds. They are apart of me, in the sense that Chaos and I are apart of each crystal. I wish that there would be no disorder, but the cycle of Dissidia has deemed it that there be both harmony and disorder, good and evil. As long as there is good, there is also evil."

"If that is true, then why not just give up? If each war here is just as painful for you as this one, then couldn't you stop?"

Cosmos shook her head, "If I did give up, then there would be no need for the new worlds. So the thirteenth exists only because Chaos and I are fighting for power.

"I have also sworn to an oath: I will believe and trust all those who fight for the light until there is no light left to fight."

"You sound like the Warrior of Light", Lightning chuckled. In a similar fashion, Cosmos laughed as well. "I should probably start searching for this Noctis. Thanks you Cosmos." Lightning then walked to the ledge of the platform she was on and then jumped down.

The goddess remained on the platform, a mournful expression appearing on her face. "I hope the light will never fade. If it does, I fear there is no way for you to have a story, Lightning." With that, she closed her eyes and vanished.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: No battle this time around. I needed an interlude where we got another Cosmos and Lightning time and for Noctis to finally learn of his enemy.


	14. Deceit

_Moon Canyon_

Sephiroth's plans with his puppet had failed. It seemed that his joining with Terra had caused some trouble. The prince suspected that it had something to do with Kefka. The clown seemed to despise the general, thinking of him as a "sissy freak with hair that needed to be burned!" There was another comment that he had made the centered around Sephiroth's mother, but Noctis could not recall what the exact words were. The general equally hated the clown, and avoided him at all costs.

So even though Lightning had disappeared, he figured that Sephiroth could teach him a few things. Yet most of the time the two men spent together centered on the general musing about certain events and trying to figure out how to get Cloud back.

"Sephiroth?" the prince finally asked at one point. "Whose side were you on in the last war?"

The general paused. "I have fought in many wars, prince. Once I was on the side of Cosmos, but when I learned the truth of my past…the light did not suite me anymore."

"What…what was it like fighting for the Goddess of Death?"

"Like fighting for Chaos, only there was a greater burden attached with fighting for Cosmos; there was a sense of respect and duty because you were fighting for the preservation of worlds."

Noctis looked down. The general was right about the burden of fighting for Cosmos. Her warriors, it seemed would do anything to see her side prevail. All that the warriors of Chaos did was scheme behind the god's back. They were more united than the fighters of Cosmos, but there were definite factions as to what to do after Cosmos was defeated. Some, like Ultimecia and the Emperor even planned to kill Chaos and assume his role.

"Noctis," the general collectively spoke, "I believe that I sense some doubt about Chaos." The prince shook his head to indicate no. "Hm. With an attitude like that, you seem more suited to fight for Cosmos than Chaos."

The prince's stoic face drained its color. _No, I'm not a fighter for Cosmos. I do doubt, but I am fully for Chaos. Am I?_

"Noctis, if you do become linked to the light, just remember to not get yourself burned by it."

With that the general left Noctis, alone in contemplation. Doubts began to rack through the young man's mind. All he had wanted, the reason he got into this war was to defeat death. Now he was ensnared by the side of Chaos, by his side wars and little quests for the crystals. Worse, if Sephiroth could sense Noctis' doubt, who else thought he was unfit to fight for Chaos.

_If all else fails, I will go to the goddess directly, and then start my own life, free from this Chaos and his warriors. I do not belong to the light, or the darkness. Well, then I'll write my own story._

§————————————————————————————§

_Ultimecia's Castle_

What Cosmos had told her about Noctis was going through the warrior's mind. This whole battle in Dissidia was still confusing to her. She had hoped that her opponent would be someone from the Holy Government, but not some member of royalty. It also bothered her about what she would do exactly when she did encounter this prince. Would he just give the crystal or would she have to kill him. Lightning, although she had been in Cocoon's military and fought before, felt uncomfortable about the whole situation. It was all too much.

The world Lightning was in now consisted of a spiral staircase that appeared to be endless. Surrounding the stair were various clock like-instruments: large and small cogs, the behinds of clocks, and the like. The area seemed to be a monument to time.

"Lightning!"

The woman heard her name and turned around, only to have a smile form on her face.

"Terra!"

She went over to greet her companion, with a smile on her face. It was wonderful to see Terra again.

"How…how are you? How's the search for the crystal?" Lightning asked.

"I've been well…" Terra began.

"Where's Cloud?"

"Cloud?" Terra asked inquisitively. Her face showed the hints of confusion.

"Yes, Cloud. You two left to search for the Onion Knight after the fight with Sephiroth and you lost control of your powers."

"Oh, Cloud…he…helped me find my crystal and then decided to go off on his own."

Lightning sensed there was something terribly wrong about Terra. She began to think brainwashing or that she was being controlled by Kefka. As she was thinking, Lightning happened to look at Terra's lower arm, specifically at the bracelets. Counting in her head, she realized that all of this Terra's bracelets were still there! This wasn't Terra!

Without hesitation, Lightning drew her gun and pointed the mussel at the imposter. "Who are you and what have you done with Terra?!"

The figure stepped back, hands in the air, a confused look on her face. "Lightning…why are you doing this? What are you doing?"

"WHERE'S TERRA? DON'T LIE TO ME!"

Terra dropped her hands and relaxed her whole body. She then dropped her head. The woman then began to laugh. It began sounding like Terra, but then it drew deeper in pitch, and more sinister in tone. Lightning clutched the gunblade harder, preparing herself for what could happen next.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ah! You're a smart little girl, aren't you?" The woman in front of Lightning raised her head. Purple tattoo lines had somehow materialized on her face, one above her eyes and another around her hairline reaching to her cheeks. "But unfortunately" the woman opened her eyes, which had transformed from blue to a sickly mustard, "you're journey ends here! TIME COMPRESSOR!"

Before Lightning could do anything, she froze in mid-air. She couldn't move. That was except for the woman. Lightning watched in horror as the Terra began to change: her red dress grew longer, black and purple claws replaced her feet and hands, the tattoos that were on her face began to appear on her legs and chest. Her skin paled and her hair turned to a silvery grey and two horns appeared on her head. As she was transforming, the woman walked toward the frozen Lightning, muttering "Such a pitiful creature."

Multiple long arrows, purple in color formed around Lightning. "Too bad you have nothing to live for. All that life is…is a continual flow of time. Meaningless. All of it is simply meaningless." Lightning still could not move; she was helpless against the mass of arrows that were growing around her.

The women continued to speak, "All of it…meaning…"

Suddenly, a barrage of sounds filled the air. "Master of Arms!" "Soul Eater!" "Blitz Ace!"

The woman screamed which disrupted her focus and caused Lightning to fall to the ground, as the arrows that had surrounded her disappeared. She watched as the sorceress backed away from her, trying to recover from the attack. Lightning was too shocked to attack, but she had no need to.

In an instant, three men appeared between her and the sorceress. One had a red sword and wore an orange bandana on his head. Another had silvery hair that was decorated with blue beads. The final had dirty blond hair. Lightning wanted to see what each looked like, but she was behind them.

"Ultimecia, what are you doing here?" one of the men asked.

"Why…why should I tell you, pitiful warriors? I fear that I must be going…" the woman then disappeared, fading into the thin air.

"Come back, you little witch!" yelled the blond man, rushing forward only to run right through the fading form of Ultimecia. "I swear, the next time we meet, I'll kick that woman's but all the way…"

"Tidus, you forgot about the young woman!" one of the men spoke, revealing a smiling face. The man with the orange bandana, which Lightning realized was used to cover a peppery mess of hair and grey eyes. "My apologies, Tidus is easily overexcited. I'm Firion, and the other traveler is Cecil."

Tidus walked up to Lightning, "Well…hello! I don't think we've met before. Heh, I'm Tidus. Blitzball extraordinare!"

"Tidus, she doesn't know what that is." Cecil exasperated, placing a hand to his forehead in embarrassment. "Besides, what would Yuna say if she found out you were hitting on another woman."

"You…you wouldn't DARE!" Tidus turned to look at Cecil. "And I wasn't hitting on…on…" he turned back to Lightning, "What's your name?"

"Lightning."

"Yeah, Lightning! Wait that's a weird name?"

"Perhaps" Firion spoke, "we should go on and converse as we travel?" Tidus suddenly appeared right by Firion, who then started to descend the spiral staircase. Cecil lagged behind for a moment, waiting for a still surprised Lightning to catch up. She took this opportunity to talk privately with Cecil.

"Cecil, I want to let you know that your brother, Golbez, saved me from a few of Chaos' warriors."

Cecil was surprised the news. "He did?"

"Yes. And he spoke very highly of you."

Cecil blushed. "Thank you. I care about him to. I just wish that he would fight for Cosmos. I have forgiven him for what he has done."

"I think he is on the side of Cosmos. Give him some time, and he'll come around."

Cecil looked at Lightning, and smiled. The two then sped up, catching up with the other two companions.

§————————————————————————————§


	15. Parallel Paths

_Dimensional Fortress_

Noctis had tried to get away from the Warriors of Chaos. He once again needed time to think and reflect what was happening.

_I can't be for Cosmos. I'm for Chaos! Cosmos is the Goddess of Death. But all of the warriors on her side seem more honorable and courageous. The way that Sephiroth described Lightning as at first trying to protect Terra seemed…seemed… like a human thing to do. She had cared about her comrade. How was that a sign of death? It makes no sense. I just want to defeat death, not get involved in a quibble about the crystals! Why am I doing what they want me to do! I should just go to Cosmos…I will go to Cosmos then!_

"I've never seen you before." a voice interrupted Noctis' thoughts.

The prince turned to see a young, brown haired man, with a distinguishable diagonal scar across the bridge of his nose. He wore attire that consisted of black pants, a black coat with a white fur collar, a white-gray undershirt, black gloves, various belts, and a silver chained necklace that had a lion's head emblem. The man reminded him of Cloud, specifically because he carried a long blade that's handle consisted of the barrel and end of a pistol.

"Hey, you listening to me?" the stranger asked. Noctis was not in the mood for this. This guy was begging to be fought.

"What do you want? Can't you see that I'm busy!" the prince spoke, with an annoyed tone.

"I was only wondering if…if you had seen two guys traveling through here?"

"No…I haven't. And even if I had, what makes you think that I would tell you?" The prince's eyes were once again scarlet. The other man remained emotionless. He then drew his sword, pointing it at Noctis.

"Then I guess the only way to resolve this is to fight you." the stranger spoke.

"So it is." Noctis smirked, he then teleported his sword and prepared to fight.

The man charged toward Noctis preparing to hit the prince. Noctis blocked it with his sword, thinking that was it. Suddenly, the warrior jumped in the air in a circle and a ring of red balls appeared from where the edge of his blade sliced through the air. As he did, he yelled "Try blocking this!" The red orbs then exploded, throwing Noctis into the wall of the castle.

The prince shook his head, trying to reorient himself. Looking down he saw his opponent running up the wall towards him. Immediately, Noctis summoned the field of weapons to block another attack. It worked for a moment, but Noctis realized that this defensive position was a problem and he would need to move to the offensive.

Grunting, he lowered the force field and thrust his main sword that the other fighter. The opponent blocked that attack and again hit Noctis with a powerful attack. But this time, Noctis was able to recover. He then decided that his teleportation ability would be best for this fight.

As the fighter prepared to hit the prince with another swing, Noctis disappeared into thin air, reappearing ten feet away from the man. That tactic worked, as he was able to dodge the sword attacks. It seemed to annoy the opponent, who yelled at one point, "Come out and fight like a true warrior."

Noctis then disappeared and reappeared behind the fighter. "As you wish." He then got a direct hit with his sword. The man was flung back. The prince then began a dashed run, catching up with the opponent and hitting him with another slash. After three hits, the man hit a wall.

"Hm. Looks like I have the upper hand now." Noctis spoke to the fighter. He then realized that the sword of the man was beginning to glow. Surprised, the prince backed off for a moment, preparing another protective barrier.

"Now, I'll show you that I have the heart of a lion!" The man swung his sword, creating a blue wave that traveled through the air, directly at the prince. Noctis braced himself for the impact. The wave hit him, breaking the barrier and throwing the prince into the air. He was helpless to the new slashes that the opponent was striking him with.

After some time, Noctis was thrown to the ground once again.

That was it. He was not letting his opponent defeat him that easily. His red eyes began to glow even more. Noctis looked to see the fighter run with his sword directly at him. He then jumped into the air. The prince saw his opportunity and summoned a force field around him. Unable to move or attack, Noctis then threw the fighter into the sky above him.

The prince then teleported into the air so that he would be at the same level as the fighter to finish him off. Forcing all of his strength and will, thirteen separate swords and guns of different classes appeared in midair surrounding the man. He then commanded the weapons to attack the opponent. One by one the weapons hit the warrior, each with a loud, sickening crash. When the final sword dropped into the warrior, he then dropped to ground.

Satisfied, Noctis teleported to the ground in front of the fighter. A little crackle of crystals glittered around in the air where the prince had landed. After a moment of taking in the satisfying sight of the defeated fighter, he turned to leave through a portal had had just made for himself.

"Now, to defeat the Goddess of Death"

Noctis opened a portal, determined to find Garland and tell him his decision. He was too focused to notice the sounds of hurried footsteps and yells.

§————————————————§

"So then I realized my old man was Sin and then I couldn't tell anyone, and that really irritated me because I was also not allowed to tell anyone. You getting all this Light?"

"Hm…oh of course." was Lightning's response. She should have known better then to have asked Tidus how he became a hero of Cosmos. At a certain point, about three worlds earlier, she had begun to block out his narration. It was a pity because she was really wanted to converse with Cecil about Golbez. Instead, she was forced to listen to Tidus, which was interesting, but still somewhat boring.

Now the four companions were in a place that was made of a large limestone castle and blue, overcast skies. This world seemed normal unlike the other places she had been traveling through; perhaps it was the sky. It reminded Lightning of the forests of Pulse. If only she could get back there…

The lovely scene was interrupted by a loud scream.

"What was that?" Cecil spoke.

"It sounded like a scream." Firion observed.

"You guys wait here," Lightning commanded, "I'll go check it out."

"How are you going to do that?" Tidus asked.

"Like this." With that, she clicked her fingers together and the light blue barrier appeared around her. She turned to look at the other warriors, who were all staring at her with shock and surprise. Lightning then pushed off the ground and flew into the air. After a few moment's she could see the entire area. Scanning the area further, she noticed two figures: one was lying on the ground and the other disappearing into a created portal.

She quickly turned her gravity powers off, and swooped down to the platform the two men were on. Lightning then readied her gun only to be disappointed when the portal closed in front of her.

"Hey, come back here!" She yelled at the person disappearing in to the portal. It soon closed. Realizing yelling would be futile to be angry at the portal; she shoved her gunblade back into its holster, and knelt down to the man lying on the ground. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" the man responded. He then attempted to stand, but Lightning quickly reacted by shoving her head under the man's arm and helped him up. Once they were both solidly standing, she looked to see her three traveling companions rushing forward.

"Squall!" Tidus yelled as he rushed closer, "Are you OK? What happened to you?"

"Some…" Squall was still short of breath, "some guy…fought me…managed to…get away."

"What did he look like?" asked Cecil.

"Pale skin…dark blue hair…cut short…red eyes…large sword…"

"Noctis!" Firion interrupted. His face was white and his eyes were wide with shock. "That was Prince Noctis!"

"Noctis! You've encountered Noctis!" Lightning was stunned.

"Met him? I fought him." Firion countered. "I…had no idea that he would do this. I sensed that he was a confused individual…but not to this extent." His last line was filled with shame and regret.

"Lightning, what's your connection with the prince?" asked Cecil, who was also stunned but remained composed.

"He's supposedly my opponent. Cosmos told me that I would need to fight him in order to obtain my world's crystal." She intentionally ignored the truth that her world no longer existed since it could possibly add more fuel to a confusing fire.

"I see. What about you Squall?"

"I…I was looking for the warriors I was traveling with: Bartz and Zidane."

"We'll help you find them, alright Squall." Cecil calmly stated. He then walked over to Lightning and Squall, with the intention of helping Lightning support Squall. The group of five then walked out of the area, hoping to find Squall's companions.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: I have nothing against Squall, but he seemed like a good opponent for Noctis. Also the warriors of Final Fantasy have the ability to survive massive explosions and two mile falls through the air without getting injured! All that does is mildly annoy them.

You guys also don't know how many times I have watched the FFverus13 trailer to try and see Noctis fight for 30 seconds. And that teleport power is shown. Ugh! Release more gamplay Square!

Fun fact: apparently the North American version will have characters that were not in the Japaness version! I'm hoping for Lightning, since we won't get to play the demo or play that game for another year.

Let me know if you enjoyed the story. I love getting comments!


	16. Betrayal and a Plan

_Throne of Chaos Past_

Garland was sitting in his throne, reflecting on what was happening in the war. So far, almost all of the Warriors of Cosmos had gathered their world's crystal. Only two remained still in the hands of Chaos: his and the thirteenth's crystal. Everything was going according to plan. His meditation was interrupted by the sound of foot steps. Gazing up, he smiled at who it was and stood up to greet him.

"Prince Noctis. It is a pleasure to see you! How goes the…"

"I didn't come to chat." The prince quickly stated. Garland was thrown off. Something had changed. The warrior saw, with some concern, that the prince's eyes were a scarlet red.

"I'm done playing games, Garland. I'm going to Cosmos!"

"What…Why?"

"To kill her."

"WHAT!" Garland roared. What was the prince doing? He knew that Cosmos was still not weak enough to finally kill off. The final crystals needed to be gathered and then destroyed! "What gives you the inclination that you can do that?"

"Because, Garland, you and your Warriors of Cosmos are too caught up in your charade with Chaos and the crystals to see that the only way to end this is to kill the Goddess of Death!"

"No!" Garland knew better. If the prince killed Cosmos now, Shinryu would be summoned and she would revive the fallen Goddess to her full strength and all of their work would be in vain. "If you do this, Noctis, Chaos will loose!"

"That's not my problem." Noctis then turned his back to Garland, with the intention of going directly to Cosmos.

"Then I will stop you myself!" Garland raised his enormous blade, and threw it at Noctis. The prince turned around, scarlet eyes wide but calm. An enormous blue barrier surrounded the prince, stopping the sword a mere inches from his face. Without touching the sword, the prince commanded Garland's sword to turn around and redirected the sword back at its owner. It flew back across the room, hitting Garland in the left shoulder. He let out a scream of pain and fell to the ground. Noctis had made sure that the wound was not fatal, but painful none the less.

As the man knelled on the ground, grunting in pain, Noctis turned to leave the shrine and go to Cosmos. As he left he whispered, "Good bye Garland.".

§————————————————————————————§

_Dream's End_

The whole group of warriors had decided to help Squall reunite with the rest of his group. Lightning had decided to stay, especially since Firion had fought with Noctis and Golbez had spoken so highly of Cecil. As they journeyed, each one exchanged stories of their worlds, how they had come to Dissidia, or how each had saved the world. Lightning's story was the only one that did not conclude with her and Team Nora saving humanity from an evil force. Yet she didn't mind that fact.

What Lightning did have were the many events that she had experienced in Dissidia, with the Warrior of Light, Cloud, and Terra. She could tell that all of her companions were enjoying themselves with her stories. It was too bad though that she remembered nothing of her life before Team Nora.

The group had made it to what Tidus called Zanarkin, his homeland. The cityscape dazzled Lightning as she looked over the expanse. Out of nowhere, the sound of two boys screaming filled the air.

"squaaaaaaAAAALLLLLLLL!"

"Oh, no. Not again" Squall spoke. His face looked like he was expecting an illness to overcome him.

A few seconds later, he was on the ground, being hugged by two boys. One had brown hair and the other was blond with a monkey tail that was wagging in the air, like a puppy dog. They then started to speak in rounds.

"SQUALL!"

"We're soooooo happy to see you!"

"We've had so much fun!"

"I fought a clown and a big armored guy…"

"And I battled with a bunch of weird guys…"

"WILL YOU TWO GET OFF OF ME" screamed Squall.

Lightning could not help but laugh at the scene. "I guess you have fan club that I never knew of."

The three others were chuckling as well.

"Squall, could you please take these two off my hands!" a feminine but squeaky voice covered the giggles and struggles from the mess of boys on the ground. Lightning was confused for a moment as to where the voice was coming from. Tidus tapped her on the shoulder. He then pointed to the ground. Lightning looked to see a tiny woman with a brown nose and blond pigtails. She had a magical staff on her back, indicating that she was a black mage. "I need to talk with our newest member."

She then turned to Lightning. Recognizing the substantial difference in height, Lightning knelt down to see eye to eye with the woman. "My name is Shantotto," the mage spoke in a kind tone. "It is a pleasure to see you awake."

Lightning thought for a moment. "You were with the Warrior of Light when I first came to Dissidia, weren't you?"

"I was indeed." Shantotto's tone then grew serious. "Now, let me tell you something: Noctis is a dangerous opponent. His fighting style seems to consist of magical enchantments and sword play. Both are a dangerous combination."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lightning asked

"Because, when you do fight him, I want you to beat him. The trick is to force him to switch between the sword and magic. He can only use one at a time."

Squall walked forward, freed from the grasps of Bartz and Zidane. "Shantotto's right. The prince is indeed powerful, but he cannot use both simultaneously. Do you have anything that could counter that?"

Lightning paused for a moment, "I think I know what to do."

"Good" Shantotto spoke.

"So, what should I do now? I need to find Noctis." Lightning spoke.

"That's fine, but you have no idea where he'll show up." Firion spoke. "From what we've gathered, Noctis seems to be a loner."

Lightning turned to Firion, "Did he say anything to you when you fought him?"

"He…he mentioned his dream was to defeat death."

"He said something similar when he was fighting me." Squall spoke, "Something about a Goddess of Death."

Shantotto's ears perked up. "That was what Ultimecia called Cosmos!"

"He's after Cosmos!" Lightning exclaimed. "You all have your crystals. You should probably meet up with Cloud and Terra. Hopefully they found the Onion Knight. From there, you should find the Warrior of Light. I'll go see Cosmos."

"Use this!" The tiny mage summoned a portal. "That should take you to the Shrine of Cosmos! Go!"

Lightning ran through portal. She had wanted to thank all of the warriors, for what they had done to help her, but Cosmos needed help.

_Hold on Cosmos! I hope I'm not too late…_

§————————————————————————————§


	17. Meeting

_Throne of Cosmos_

The goddess sensed that Chaos was growing even more in power. The crystals were almost all gathered. The only one that remained unfound was Lightning's. The question of how she and Noctis were connected was still bouncing in her mind. The only conclusion that she could come to was that they were indeed enemies, but because of the premature age of the thirteenth world's crystal, they had not met. If that was indeed true, then she feared that the story of that world had indeed been permanently changed, just as she had feared.

Worse, it seemed that her plan to end the war by using the crystals was failing. She was growing weaker, as her attempts to keep the crystals alive were draining her energy. It was becoming obvious that there would be no thirteenth story.

Someone was approaching the shrine. Looking up, she saw a young man; Noctis. She only hoped that Lightning would get here as soon a possible.

§————————————————§

Noctis had made up his mind. He was going to destroy Cosmos. The Goddess of Death was no longer going to be a factor in his life.

Of all the worlds he had visited, this one was the most serene. He could feel certain calmness about this place. The water on the ground, the simple white rock formations, the blue sky, it looked too beautiful. He kept reminding himself that this was the sanctuary of the Goddess of Death; she was supposed to be deceitful. Keeping his gaze in front of him, he noticed a white platform beginning to form on the horizon. As he neared, the prince saw a figure sitting on that platform. The closer he approached the shrine, it became obvious that the woman was Cosmos.

_There's no turning back now._

He finally reached the steps of the white throne. "Cosmos." he snarled, never letting his eyes off of the woman.

"I presume that you are Prince Noctis." Cosmos remained seated, never once showing any sign of fear of concern. This was the first time that she had ever seen Noctis. "I suppose you have come to see me?"

"Yes. I have come to destroy the Goddess of Death."

"Is that what they told you? That I am a being of death?" Cosmos' voice was filled with pity.

"They told me the truth, that by defeating you I will be freed from the cycle of death."

"If you believe that, why do I sense so much doubt?"

"Shut up!" The prince's eyes turned to scarlet, and the sound of broken glass filled the air.

"You are searching…" Cosmos began to ponder the young man she in front of her. "You're not like the other warriors of Chaos; their only purpose is to seek destruction, but you are seeking something else…"

Noctis balled both fists. Crashing glass soon droned out all the other sounds in the area. Cosmos stood up, and began to walk slowly towards the young man. She was incredibly perplexed by the presence of the prince. "You seek the truth…" she whispered.

"Shut up!" Noctis roared. The goddess screamed as the cyclone of weapons appeared around Noctis. His long, heavy sword had materialized in his hand. He then attempted to swing his blade directly at the goddess's chest. But he was stopped. Noctis felt a heavy metal object on the back of his bare neck. He immediately froze, terrified, unable to do anything. He could not believe that someone had snuck up on him.

"Put the sword, down."

The prince couldn't see the person who had suddenly appeared, but Cosmos could. It was Lightning!

"Prince Noctis, I presume." Lightning spoke, trying to be as firm and commanding as possible. Yet the prince didn't seem to listen. "Put the sword down now." She shoved the gun harder into the prince's neck. He ignored her again. It was then that she looked down to see that the prince's arm tense around the sword and his head begin to turn.

In one swift move, he horizontally slashed the blade around him. At the same time, he turned himself around, moved by the thrust of the swing and the want to see who his opponent was. Lightning had, luckily, noticed what the prince was doing and performed a quick back flip, which propelled her out of the blade's swing.

As she twisted back, Lightning saw that the man in front of her had scarlet red eyes that glared back at her. It was Noctis. Preparing herself, she switched her gunblade to its sword mode. The weapon completed its transformation as she landed and directed the weapon at the prince, her eyes never leaving the prince's own eyes.

Lightning broke the silence. "Prince Noctis."

"Lightning" he replied.

The prince grunted, and then smirked. "I thought you'd be taller. Oh well, pity that I have to fight you." With that, he produced a portal behind him. "Let's end this. Once you're out of the way, I'll come back for Cosmos." He then walked through the portal.

Lightning had remained in her fighting stance the whole time. As the prince walked into the portal, she turned to look at Cosmos.

"Should I…"

"Yes." Cosmos said, knowing what the soldier would say next. "I'll be fine. The others will come soon. Do what you need to do."

With that, Lightning ran through the portal, leaving Cosmos alone once again.

§————————————————§

After Lightning had left, Cosmos sat on her throne in silent contemplation. She was thinking of many things: what would happen to the warriors, Lightning, the crystals, and the cycle. From what she had gathered, she hoped that this endless war would end, but not at the cost of the lives of the warriors. Worse, she could sense that even with all the crystals, she would still be defeated.

_Brave warriors. I..._

She was reminded of a war from eons ago, where Shantotto had just become a warrior of Cosmos. How happy she had been, but also how she had to face the Judge Magister, Gabranth, for the first time. And the words they had spoken to each other.

"Bystanders have no future. Nor those who do not protect." Gabranth was right. Standing still would get one nowhere.

But then Shantotto spoke: "Yes. The future is something seized by force!"

The future. If only there was a future for her outside of this war.

_It's all a never-ending dream. Nevertheless...The nightmare will definitely end._

Looking up, she saw the eleven warriors, all led by the Warrior of Light. She then stood up, waiting to greet them, and then reveal the truth.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: This is it. Time for the ultimate showdown! Lightning vs. Noctis! Who will win? I promise that the next chapter is going to be awesome! However, it might take awhile because I'll be having a fight with Noctis, which takes a while already and I have to tie up the loose ends, which are still present. Till then!


	18. Thinking Makes It So

_The Streets of Terebrae_

Lightning appeared on the other side of the portal. She looked around. The setting was now a dark metropolis. It was not as technological as Cocoon from what Lightning could tell, but it was certainly impressive. There were skyscrapers everywhere, built around wide avenues and streets. Lightning glanced up to see a clear night sky with a full moon. The city seemed dead, as if it were drained of all life.

"So you came." Noctis appeared in the middle of the path where Lightning had appeared.

"Noctis, please...I don't want to fight you. I don't know you." Lightning was pleading with the prince.

"I know two things: you support the Goddess of Death and all warriors who aid the goddess **must** die."

"But she's not the Goddess of Death! She's the Goddess of Harmony! Please Noctis, don't do this!"

"To me, she is an enemy; to you a friend. In that case 'nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so'!" Suddenly, Noctis drew his sword. In the process, a light cobalt blue insignia appeared behind him. The sound of crackling glass filled the air as the image came into view. Lightning could make out a spiral of words, a single wing and two spheres on each side of the sign.

Lightning bowed her head, "I, however, know in my mind that there is right and wrong. I might not know you or want to hurt you, but you stand in the way of me restoring my world. And no matter what the cost is, I will fight against those who bring harm to Pulse until my dying breath." With that, she unsheathed her gunblade, raised it to her face and opened the sword. She then placed it parallel to her chin, letting the dimming glitter from the sign behind Noctis shimmer off of her sword.

Noctis made the first attack, summoning his defensive weapons and threw six of them at Lightning. The warrior saw the attack and snapped her fingers. The gravity field appeared around her and she quickly dodged all the swords with a quick jump. Magically, the weapons followed Lightning as she glided through the air. She then switched her sword to her gun and let off a dozen bullets aimed at the prince. Instantly, Noctis commanded the weapons to return to him, forming the cyclone around him to protect him.

Lightning smirked. _You were right Squall and Shantotto! He can only use offense or defense one at a time! _She then switched her gun back to its sword and prepared to strike the prince from above.

Noctis saw Lightning falling from above and quickly moved his force field to a position that would easily deflect her attack. As she hit, the sound of glass breaking filled the air. Apparently, he underestimated Lightning's strength as she had cracked three levels of his shield. Her sword had produced red sparks which clashed with the blue of the barrier Noctis had created.

"You're good" Noctis grunted, looking Lightning in the eyes with his scarlet ones. "But not good enough!"

Lightning muttered "Hu?" Just then the prince commanded the remainder of the weapons to form around Lightning. They stated to spin around her. Lightning immediately switched her sword to its gun and jumped away, dodging the other attacks.

Seeing her in the air, Noctis took the chance and teleported into the sky with Lightning. He then drew his sword and slashed Lightning across the chest. She had been too distracted with the need to control her gravity powers that she had not noticed that Noctis had appeared in the air next to her. This shot Lightning to the ground, landing on her side with a sickening crack.

She quickly got up and grabbed her gunblade to face Noctis again. As he positioned himself to hit Lightning again, she tried to activate her gravity powers again. Snapping her fingers, she realized that the force field was not appearing! Gazing down at her right fingers, she repeatedly snapped them, desperately trying to get the blue shield to appear. All that formed was a barely visible ball that flickered duly.

_Used my powers to quickly! _She knew it would be a few minutes before her gravity powers could be used again. Meanwhile, it seemed as though Noctis had an infinite supply of magical power. It was like a foot solider battling a top ranking general. There was no way Lightning would be able to play defensively for long.

Noctis had started hovering in the air towards Lightning, three of his swords directly pointed at Lightning. He had noticed she had failed to produce the gravity field, which was her ultimate defense. What he was going to use now was a ramming blast that would weaken the fighter even more. As he neared Lightning, the prince noticed that she was still readying her sword. She was actually going to fight back.

He grabbed the first sword nearest to him and swung at Lightning, by she parried that with a block of her blade. Grunting, Noctis gripped a second sword and tried to hit her with that, but she blocked that swing. As she was defensively moving, Lightning was spinning around, moving to the left and the right, as if she were performing a waltz or salsa.

This amazed Noctis. No matter how many times he tried to hit her with the two swords, she managed to dodge and parry his slashed. Frustrated, the prince reached for the third sword that he had summoned. Now he was trying to hit Lightning with all three, using two in his right hand and the remainder in his left.

After some time, Lightning made her move and caused Noctis' three swords to be locked against her gunblade. She then forced the weapons up into the air so that their weights would be forced upward. Seeing that Noctis was putting all of his strength into pushing her gunblade, Lightning quickly lifted one leg and kicked the prince in the stomach.

The prince groaned and let go of his three swords. Lightning then swung her gunblade around, releasing all three locked swords, and sending them flying to the ground. She then dashed up to a pained Noctis and punched him across the face. The force was enough to send him falling to the ground.

For a moment, Noctis' vision went black. He quickly realized he was on the ground and Lightning had just switched to gun mode. Immediately, he pushed his hands into the air and summoned a force field. That blocked the bullets, but the shield was weakening. The prince knew that he would have to finish Lightning off. He then raised his arms and threw them in the direction of Lightning. Instantly, thirteen weapons appeared and flew in Lightning's direction.

She jumped and dodged the first three weapons, avoiding the flying swords. But then she was blindsided when one of the weapons slashed Lightning in the leg. That blow caused her to fall to the left, into the path of the remaining projectiles. Lightning then balled her fists and shouted, "_Eternal Flames_"! Two fireballs flew towards Noctis, both hitting him in the arms. He winced in pain as the fires burned part of his arms. As he reacted, the swords that were coming at Lightning disappeared. Lightning fell to the ground. Her plan had worked, but she had still received multiple gashes by the remaining weapons, that were aimed at her.

The warrior looked up, noticing that there was a trickle of blood that caressed her forehead. Feeling her gravity powers were finally replenished, she jumped up and decided that she should finish the prince off.

Lightning ran at Noctis, who was clutching his arms in pain where the fire balls had hit him. He gazed up to see Lightning moving forward. He tried to summon the barrier to protect him, but it was too late. The pains of a powerful uppercut hit him and his body was sent into the air. Lightning then grabbed Noctis by the shirt, and switched her gravity powers on. She then jumped with Noctis into the air above the street. The prince began to kick and slash Lightning with one of his smaller swords. But Lightning refused to let go.

She then stared into Noctis' eyes, and said "It's time to end this!" Lightning then flung the prince right above her. Readying her sword, she then began to spin around. A blazing orange light appeared on the edges of the blade and made a mark on where the sword passed through the air. As gravity began to pull the prince down, Lightning unleashed a powerful blade slash across her opponent. During his descent, the prince tried to use his shield, but Noctis was too weak. The blow from Lightning's blade managed to crack the protective barrier Noctis had summoned for himself. Echos of cracking glass filled the air, as tiny crystal shards were sent flying into both Noctis and Lightning's body.

The prince was thrown down to the street bellow, crashing into the ground with the mark of an enormous crater. Lightning landed on the ground with a satisfying thump, still holding her blade just in case he made a move. Noctis slowly got up gripping his sword has a crutch. He only stood for a few moments, before he fell to the ground, landing on his hands. Blood was running from his mouth and falling to the ground in splatters. He was also grunting heavily. "So…you…really care…about…Cosmos." The prince spoke with a shortness of breath.

"I'll defend her to the end!" Replied Lightning.

Suddenly, a white light appeared in front of Lightning. She raised her free hand to shield her eyes from the newly formed light. When the light had faded, she looked at what remained. Floating in midair was a little blue sphere, entwined with solid cobalt, aqua, and copper colored ribbons that danced around the tiny ball. It was enchanting.

"That's a crystal!" Lightning exclaimed, walking towards the object, entranced by its presence. Taking both hands, she gently stretched out them, being careful as to not destroy the little crystal before her. When her hands were finally around the orb, she pulled it toward her chest. "It's my crystal," she whispered to herself. The crystal felt alive to Lightning; she could almost imagine a tiny heartbeat in that little orb.

"Pointless!"

Lightning turned around to see Noctis, who was still kneeling on the ground, supporting himself with a hand. He was breathing heavily, and deep black and blue smoke was emitting from his body. He was disappearing! Gazing upward, Lightning could see his red eyes, filled with anger and terror.

"You're…too late. The goddess…Cosmos…will…die."

"What are you talking abo..." Lightning was unable to finish her sentence as a paining headache sheered through her head. She screamed in agony. _What is happening to me?_

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: I should warn you all that the next few chapters include MAJOR spoilers from the game. If you're waiting for the English version, I'm warning you here. Then again, this whole fanfic is made of spoilers since some of the scenes are from the game….Any way, see you guys next time! Also, major plot twists ahoy! Leave a review or comment if you want to!


	19. Descent into Chaos

_Throne of Cosmos_

While Lightning was fighting Noctis, the other warriors of Cosmos had arrived at the Shrine of Cosmos. They had all retrieved their crystals. Though some of the warriors wanted Lightning to be there with them, the Warrior of Light was firm in saying that they would continue without Lightning.

As they approached the goddess, they all pulled out their crystal. The Warrior of Light led the way, approaching Cosmos.

"Cosmos, we have collected all the crystals. Now, let us end this fight!"

The goddess looked around, to see the approving faces. Each held a crystal. At that moment, Cosmos sensed that Lightning had obtained her crystal. Rather than happiness, her face fell grim.

"Thank you. But…"

She fell to the ground. Her body was beginning to fade in and out of existence. The warriors rushed forward to aid the fallen goddess. She looked up, tears in her eyes. "It's already too late. All of you...Will fall into true darkness."

The landscape suddenly changed. The blues became red and the water rock and fire. Cosmos's shrine disappeared. Behind everything was a seemingly endless array of erupting volcanoes and mountains. Everything was the exact opposite of what the realm of Cosmos had been.

The warriors then began to look for Cosmos. They finally found her standing away from the warriors, looking to the sky. Suddenly, a deep, evil voice echoed across the mountain range. "So you've finally come!" Out of red sky a great demon appeared.

"Chaos...!" the goddess spoke, remaining still.

"And his bestest Buddies!" came a voice. It was Kefka, and ten of the other Warriors of Chaos. "Oh, lookie! It's our little prince and lady princess."

"What are you…" the Warrior of Light began, but turned his head to see Lightning, kneeling on the ground, clutching her chest. A few feet away from her lay a wounded Noctis. "Lightning!"

He ran over the kneeling warrior and put a hand on her shoulder. She seemed dazed and in shock. A few shakes of her shoulders later, Lightning came to her senses. Terrified eyes gazed into the calm ones of the Warrior of Light. He then helped Lightning to her feet.

"That's Chaos. You're going down!" An angry Tidus yelled. He then drew his sword and charged towards the god.

"Foolish brat!" the god replied. He then swished his wings, which created a force that threw Tidus to the ground. That same attack hit all of the other warrior, as they all closed their eyes in pain. Lightning winced was she was weakened even further. The scene was worsened by the laughter of Kefka.

"Oh Come on! The little pawns of blight can't take a little swish from Chaos. HA!"

Chaos ignored the clown and returned his focus to Cosmos. "You know what will happen to you? Your fate has been sealed."

"Yes I will be defeated," Cosmos quickly countered, "but I will return."

"Oh Cosmos, you know better than that. You've dug your own grave. And now it seems that your _precious_ warriors will fade away as well."

"You are not the one who decides our path. That is a power even you cannot control, as for me, I will suffer what ever happens."

The Warrior of Light interjected, "Cosmos! Please, don't do what I fear you are doing! What about our worlds!" Tears were appearing on his chin. The other warriors were terrified as well.

Cosmos turned to look at her followers, and gently smiled. "I made a vow that I would protect you all till the very end. I intend to keep that." She then turned to Chaos. "They must know true darkness... "

The god chuckled, "As you wish...I will erase all light!"

Suddenly, a pillar of fire descended to the ground, engulfing Cosmos.

Lightning watched in horror as the goddess that she was supposed to defend was being incinerated by Chaos. "COSMOS!" she yelled! The goddess must have heard her, because she turned her head to face the warriors one last time. Her light blue eyes were barely visible behind the wall of flames. After a few more seconds, the fire dissipated, revealing an empty space where Cosmos had been.

Chaos, pleased with his work, chuckled. "This world is permanent. The crystals and their worlds will sink into hopeless darkness...It would be best if you all just disappeared!"

§————————————————————————————§

_Palace of Shinryu_

Shinryu had been resting on her throne, anxiously waiting for her to time to revive the fallen deity. The great hall had finally been silent as all of the summons and creatures that had come to the palace had returned to their separate worlds. All she had to do now was wait.

The serene silence was interrupted by the opening of the room's doors. Shinryu gazed up to see the page moogle, running across the hall.

"My Lady, Cosmos has been defeated! Cosmos has been defeated!"

The goddess stood up, with a confused look on her face. She had not sensed that one of the gods was defeated. "That's impossible!"

"But, my Lady…Cosmos was just incinerated!"

"How…CHAOS!" Shinryu roared. "That fool is trying to permanently remove Cosmos!"

§————————————————————————————§

_Shrine of Chaos_

The warriors were in complete shock. Cosmos, the goddess that they had defended and fought for all this time, the only deity who stood for the light, was gone.

Lightning sank to the ground. She rarely showed her emotions on her face, but she could not contain her anguish at the disappearance of Cosmos. Small drops appeared on the ground.

Suddenly Shantotto screamed. "Wha...what's going on?" Lightning gazed up to see pale blue, purple, and green lights surrounding the mage. She then looked to Tidus and Zidane, who also had the lights dancing around them. In fact, all of the warriors were surrounded by the same lights.

Shantotto screamed again and then disappeared.

"Lady Shantotto!" Terra yelled.

"Ohhhhh! Such pretty…and gorgeous lights!" Kefka laughed.

"SHUT UP KEFKA!" Exdeath roared.

"No one cares about your incessant failed jokes!" It was a villain that Lightning had never seen: an almost nude woman with wavy silver hair, a long cape, and two mustard monsters attached to her sides.

"Oh, but my dear Cloudie, this is all too fun! Pitty that Terra won't be around to play with anymore."

Tidus had then disappeared.

"And do you know what the best part of this is?" laughed Kefka. "YOU ALL KILLED COSMOS! HA!"

"What are you talking about!?" Yelled Squall, who looked to see Zidane and Cloud disappear. Then he too faded away.

"We will not tell you," spoke a happy Ultimecia.

Terra and Cecil then disappeared.

"FEAR NOT, YOU ALL SHALL BECOME A PART OF THE VOID!"

At this point the Onion Knight vanished. Only Lightning, Firion, and the Warrior of Light remained. Soon Firion disappeared.

"Bye-bye lightie!" waved an overly jolly Kefka.

Lightning then saw the Warrior of Light disappear. Only she remained. She froze, unable to do anything. All she could do was clutch her crystal even tighter. She was too busy to notice that the three bands that had surrounded the blue orb had vanished.

"Only Lightning's left." The Cloud of Darkness noted.

"Then let's get started!" A thrilled Kefka replied.

"NO!" yelled Lightning. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the crystal. It blinded the group that had surrounded her. As the light faded, Lightning vanished.

§————————————————————————————§


	20. A Second Chance

_The Throne of Cosmos_

She was not sure how, but Lightning had managed to find her way back to the Throne of Cosmos. Though little had changed, the place felt emptier than ever before. It had to be related to the defeat of Cosmos and the disappearance of the other warriors. She tried so hard not to think of what she had seen earlier, but it was useless. Cosmos was defeated. The warriors were defeated. And now, she was the only one left. Even with her skill and power, there was no way for her to fight eleven powerful warriors and a god. It was hopeless.

The sky had morphed into the bloody red shade she had dreamed of. Lightning ignored that, and looked at the crystal she held in her hands. All of her work, battles, and struggle for a tiny orb no larger than an apple. It looked dead, as though there was no light within it, no life. She knew that the Warriors of Chaos would be after her, and that she would likely loose her life.

_There's no point in avoiding it. Chaos will find me and…_

She then remembered the words of the Warrior of Light.

"I will fight to the end…even if there is no light left!"

And then Cosmos' last words.

"I made a vow that I would protect you all till the very end. I intend to keep that."

Lightning looked up to the sky and yelled, "As long as I breathe, I will fight to the end."

A white light suddenly appeared in the red sky. Lightning stared in awe. Suddenly, eleven separate lights broke from the single light, spinning around in a waltz like motion. She then noticed that the crystal she was holding was glowing just like the lights.

The eleven lights then began to swirl round and then took the form of…crystals! The new crystals then flew to the ground…and into the hands of…The Warriors of Cosmos!

Lightning was shocked. All of the warriors were there! She ran off the shrine of Cosmos and towards the others. The Warrior of Light was the first to notice Lightning and walked forward to greet her. "Lightning! You're alright!"

At the mention of her name, all of the other warriors turned to see Lightning. Lightning was just thrilled to see all of the others, alive. "I…I thought you all had vanished when Chaos had destroyed Cosmos?"

"So did we." Spoke Squall.

"But what happened? The crystals and our return, was that Cosmos' doing?" Terra asked.

"I don't know" came a calm Cloud, "but what ever did this, something has happened to cause Cosmos to disappear."

"But why did Kefka say that we were the ones who destroyed Cosmos..." spoke Cecil, looking around at the other warriors.

"She…she gave us a second chance." Interjected Lightning. She was now wondering why she had not disappeared with the others. "Perhaps to defeat Chaos?"

"In that case," the Onion Knight spoke, "we'll get the answer from the Warriors of Chaos!"

"No," Lightning softly said, "When I talked with Cosmos, she said that 'The hardest part about being a goddess is that I am not allowed to interfere with the other worlds. They are apart of me, in the sense that Chaos and I are apart of each crystal'." She then looked into the eyes of the Warrior of Light. She almost didn't want to say it. "If Cosmos is somehow related to the crystals, then…"

"The crystals are part of her power!" Firion spoke. "So, when we gathered the crystals…"

"We were destroying Cosmos in the process." Cloud said.

"Oh, Cosmos." Terra looked down at her crystal. The other warriors gazed at their crystals, realizing that they held in their hands the last of the goddess' power.

"Why?" The Warrior of Light spoke. "Why did she tell us to find the crystals if it destroyed her?"

It then that Shantotto said "I think she knew she would not win this battle. She did not have the power to defeat Chaos this time, so she gave us the chance to beat the God of Discord."

"So she knew what was going to happen her and she stilled entrusted us with..." Bartz began.

"Her remaining power?" Tidus finished.

"In that case," The Warrior of Light spoke, "We won't let her down!"

§————————————————————————————§

_Moon Canyon_

As the other warriors of Chaos were celebrating the success of their plan to defeat Cosmos, Golbez and Jecht had taken the now resting Noctis out of the sight of the god. All of the warriors had learned of the prince's betrayal of their organization and the grudge that Garland now held against the prince.

"You know," Jecht spoke to Golbez, who was carrying the prince, "what we're about to do is worthy of treason against Chaos."

"Phf, like we were the most honorable and trusting of Chaos' minions." Golbez replied sarcastically. "Besides, Cosmos sensed that I was leaning to her side. She probably thinks the same of you."

Jecht grunted. "Yeah, like I've done anything right in my life."

The two men continued to walk until they found a crevice in the canyon. There, they placed Noctis on the ground, letting him rest for sometime. They then stood, waiting for the prince to awaken, making small talk with each other.

"So uh, Golbez, what do ya think of that Lightning girl?"

"What about her?" Golbez questioned.

"Is she…uh…tough or sweet?"

"Bitter and powerful. And if you get in her way, she'll crush you."

"I see…"

The prince grunted and then opened his eyes. Gazing up, he saw the figures of a shirtless Jecht and the cobalt armor of Golbez.

"Where…where am I?" he struggled to say.

"The Moon Canyon. Jecht and I decided that you needed to be as far away from Garland as possible." Golbez told the prince.

"Wonderful. Is Cosmos?"

"Yes and no. She was physically incinerated by Chaos, yet her power is still present in the crystals that the Warriors of Cosmos hold."

Noctis looked at Golbez and Jecht with terror. The Goddess of Death…or was she really that…was still living. Lightning had destroyed him and taken the crystal, only to now realize that Cosmos was still present.

"If it is any consolation," Jecht spoke, "you did exactly what everyone wanted. You let Lightning get the crystal and helped defeat…"

"NO" Noctis spouted, "How can The Goddess still be alive. I…I don't want to do this anymore. I just want to go home."

"I'm sorry Noctis, but that is not possible." Golbez replied.

"What…Wha…"

"When Cosmos was destroyed, the balance of each of the worlds was destroyed. As a result, all of the worlds were permanently erased. The only way for the worlds to be restored is through the power of Shinryu, who is at this point unable to revive Cosmos. Therefore, there is no way for any of us to return home."

"If it's any constellation," Jecht pointed out, "you will live forever as long as the Warriors of Cosmos do not defeat Chaos himself."

Noctis' face filled with despair. He had gotten his wish, but there would be nothing! There was no future for him even though he would live through all of it. He started to cry, realizing his mistakes. "Is there anyway to change this?"

"Like I said, if the Warriors of Cosmos manage to defeat Chaos then Shinryu will be awakened and she will reset everything."

Realizing that he was turning his back on Chaos once again, he looked at Jecht and Golbez. "What must I do?"

§————————————————————————————§


	21. Shade Impule I

_Throne of Chaos Past_

With a definite victory the Warriors of Chaos had left the Shrine of God to celebrate. Golbez and Jecht had not appeared with the others. Needless to say, the way the group celebrated was bizarre. Sephiroth was off in a corner, brooding about his little puppet, while Gabranth and Garland were opposite the general discussing their newest plans for the worlds they would conquer. The Cloud of Darkness, Exdeath, Kuja, and Kefka were all together discussing the ideas of the void and nothingness, with the clown sometimes interjecting a few attempts to try and get the Cloud of Darkness to date him. The remaining two figures in the room were Ulitmecia and the Emperor, who were now discussing their plan to usurp Chaos in order to become deities himself.

"Everything worked out perfectly." The Emperor spoke with a sickening smile growing across his face.

"Yes," the sorceress replied. "Pity that our sleepy prince almost ruined everything."

"Ah, it was enjoyable watching him struggle like a fish out of water."

"I fear his weakness comes from his the fact that his world is unformed."

"If that is true, why was Lightning much more focused and able to retrieve the crystal? In fact, why did she not disappear with the other Cosmos Warriors?"

The Emperor was about to speak when a low rumble interrupted him. All of the Warriors of Chaos looked around the shrine anxiously, trying to figure out the cause of the sound. They looked in horror as the walls and area surrounding them faded in and out of existence.

'What...what is happening?" Ultimecia yelled.

"It appears that the Void" the Cloud of Darkness explained, "he come for us."

"NO, IT IS THE WARRIORS OF COSMOS." Exdeath spoke.

"What about the Warriors of Cosmos?" Gabranth asked.

"IT APPEARS THAT THEY HAVE ESCAPED THE GRAPS OF NOTHINGNESS!"

The walls of the ancient shrine flashed in and out of the existence for a second time. A few of the villains shuddered. At that moment, Garland told his fellow fighters "It seems that the servants of Cosmos have reunited. Now, we should go forth and finish what we came here to do."

With a quick nod, the Warriors of Chaos left the celebration and traveled to their respective realms to await their opponents.

§————————————————————————————§

_World of Darkness_

The shrine of Cosmos was becoming too unstable for the Warriors of Cosmos to stay in, so they relocated. Though the world was not fading as much as the previous, the group knew they had to be careful. All of them were gathered in a circle, planning their next move.

"Cosmos gave us a second chance," The Warrior of Light spoke, "and we are not going to let her down!"

"So what should we do?" responded Squall.

"We'll need to fight the Warriors of Chaos once again." came the voice of the wise Shantotto. "They will give us the most information about what is going on and how we can find Chaos."

"As much as I dislike this, we'll need to split into groups." The Warrior of Light said. "We'll go in three groups of four, so that we are not all alone." The other warriors nodded their heads in agreement.

"Shantotto, Squall, Bartz, and Zidane will be one group. Shantotto, I trust you'll help them with the sorceress and those who want to live in the void."

"You can count on me!" Cheered the black mage. She then quickly walked to Bartz and Zidane and gave both of them a hit in their knees as to say 'don't mess with me or I'll turn you into a newt'.

"Terra, Cloud, Cecil…and Lightning, you four go together and try to find your opponents. Keep an eye out for Golbez as he is perhaps the one villain who we can trust." Those four walked over to each other. Lightning was pleased with this group, as she felt comfortable with all of the warriors. Each could hold their own in a tough situation and together, they would be unstoppable.

"Tidus, Firion, The Onion Knight, and I will be the last group. If one of the groups breaks up do your best to stay together and meet up with the other groups. There's strength in numbers and the Warriors of Chaos will likely do everything in their power to separate us. May the Light shine with us!"

With that, the groups split up and went searching for their enemies.

§————————————————————————————§

_Planet's Core_

Noctis had decided to leave the Moon Canyon as soon as Golbez and Jecht had left. He was beginning to see that the worlds were beginning to fall in and out of existence. Some would remain whole but would soon fall into chaos. All of this was the result of Chaos' victory over Cosmos.

He was finally coming to grips with the realization that Cosmos was not the Goddess of Death, at least in the way he had assumed. It was shameful and Noctis hated himself for threatening Cosmos. Worse, he was the one who had inadvertently destroyed Lightning's world. He wondered how many people he had destroyed or all the lives he had permanently affected. Even as a prince, that burden of guilt hung on his shoulders like a pair of irremovable weights.

Monsters from other worlds had been flooding the places he had explored. He had realized that a few of the creatures had a particular pattern. They were quadrupeds with long tails, clawed paws, small heads, and moved quickly in packs of four or five. They had silver body armor like skin on their heads, thighs, underbelly, and tails. Noctis almost thought they were robotic because of all the metal. But under those shells was a reptile like creature.

After tracking the packs appearances, Noctis managed to find a portal where the monsters were appearing from. Deciding that he had nothing to loose, he stepped into the hole, unsure of where he would end up.

§————————————————————————————§


	22. Shade Impule II

_Pandaemonium_

The group of Lightning, Cloud, Cecil, and Terra had managed to stay together through three whole worlds and had even encountered Kefka and Golbez. Both Terra and Cecil had each fought their opponent alone and each succeeded. Cecil had even managed to talk to Golbez about a few things. However, he had seemed rather shaken after that fight when he returned to where his three companions were.

"What happened?" Lightning asked.

Cecil sighed, "I asked him why he had joined the side of Chaos. He said that it was a way for him to fulfill his wishes."

"Did he say what those wishes were?"

"No."

Lightning and Terra looked at Cecil with sympathy in their eyes. The soldier had felt terrible that this war was tearing families apart through this war. Worse, she had trusted Golbez and was still shocked that he still seemed loyal to Chaos.

"He did mention the prince." Cecil spoke, which caught Lightning's attention. "My brother said that Noctis has had a change of heart and is struggling to get out of the darkness."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I doubt that."

"Lightning, how can you say that?" Terra asked curiously. Cloud even seemed to get out of his daydream state as he glanced toward the huddle.

"How can I say that? You three didn't see him with a sword pointed at Cosmos' throat ready to kill her. You didn't see how he wanted to kill me because I was for the goddess. He's not changed at all!"

"Lightning!" Cloud stepped into the conversation, grabbing Lightning's arm, keeping her with the other warriors. The woman sensed that there was no way that she would get out of the conversation without a fight.

"Cloud!" Lightning grunted.

"I'm not letting you go."

He certainly was stubborn and persistent, Lightning gave him that. Yet now she was getting annoyed. "You're not going to change my opinion Cloud! I know that some people can change, but I highly doubt that little excuse of royalty has changed one bit! I no longer have a world! I've lost everything!!" Hot tears began to flow from her eyes. Cloud still kept a firm grip on the woman, even as she began to sink to the ground, sobbing. Seeing that she was not going anywhere, he loosened his grip.

Cloud was silent for a moment. Terra and Cecil, who had been holding their breaths, walked over to the other two. Terra then kneeled on the ground with Lightning, hugging her and gently rubbing the fighter's loose strawberry blond hair. She was still sobbing.

"Lightning, I know you're upset but we've all lost our worlds, our friends." Cloud calmly spoke. "I guess, I want you to know that we all share your pain, but you should also know that perhaps the prince feels just as distressed about his situation."

Lightning looked into Cloud's sapphire blue eyes. They were filled with sincerity and care.

"That still does not excuse the prince's behavior." Cecil interjected his feelings into the conversation. "But I have to believe that of all the members of Chaos' legion, Golbez has the purest heart. No doubt he would have informed Noctis of the true intentions of the God of Destruction."

The soldier thought for a moment and realized her comrades were right. She was confusing facts with her emotions. It would still be hard for Lightning to forget what Noctis had done, but she would have to wait until she encountered him to get the answer.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Terra smiled and hugged her friend. She then helped Lightning back onto her feet. Lightning had started to smile, but it was broken by a sudden rumble. Glancing around, she noticed that the surroundings of the world they were in had started to change and morph.

"The world's disintegrating," Cloud yelled. "Let's get out of here!"

In an instant, all of them began to run out of the world. The honeycomb royal purple designed walls were crumbling and disappearing in odd ways. Glimpses of other worlds, even other times were being played in each of the octagons.

As the group ran past another hallway, Lightning caught the glimpse of a figure with light red hair and pigtails. She stopped for a moment trying to get better view of the person, her mouth open in shock. _It…it couldn't be?_

Forgetting the others, she ran down that side hall, chasing after the figure. It seemed that every time she turned another corner, the figment was at the other end of the hall. Lightning had completely forgotten about Cloud and the others.

After a few minutes, she came to a dead end. Frustrated, Lightning turned around to see a glowing portal a few feet away. On the ground was a metal bracelet. She knew instantly who it belonged to.

"Vanille" she said out loud.

Curiosity took over as she walked through the portal, unsure of what laid ahead.

§————————————————§

Moments after Lightning had entered the portal, the rumbling dispersed and the world became stable once again. Cloud, Terra and Cecil stopped for the first time since they had started running.

Cloud looked around at the group and his eyes grew wide. "Where's Lightning?"

"I…I don't know" Terra replied. "I thought she was behind us. We…we have to go back and find her!"

"No" Cecil said. He looked at Terra with concern but also understanding. "Lightning can take care of herself. We'll find her later."

Terra glanced down, understanding that if anymore of their group left, they would be weakening their ability to fight off Chaos. The decision did not sit well with Terra, but she went with the others, knowing that they would hopefully find Lightning again.

§————————————————————————————§

Noctis had stepped out of the portal. He wasn't sure what he would expect. His eyes adjusted to the lights and surrounding of the place, as he started to look around. When his vision was finally clear, Noctis realized that he was in a city.

It was far more futuristic than Tenebrae. Most of the buildings were white in color and draped in glass and stylish architecture. There were large glass tubes, which were filled with road like structures that circled around the perimeter of the area, as far as Noctis could see. What puzzled him was the lack of natural landmarks. He could see no mountains, rivers, forests, or hills. Curious as to where he really was the prince teleported on top of one of the taller buildings in the city.

When he had found solid footing, he looked around. It was then he realized that he was in a city. A city that was flying above the clouds! He was shocked. Noctis had no idea how this was possible?

_This…this is Lightning's world._

He awed at the beauty and majesty of the floating city. A roaring sound interrupted the peaceful view. Noctis returned to the ground to see a whole pack of the monsters he was traveling with. Thus was his chance to perhaps get some anger out, and practice before Lightning would inevitable show up.

It was then that a group of humans like figures appeared. They wore white and yellow body armor and helmets. The group was armed with large guns and appeared to see Noctis as a threat. A robotic automated voice, with a monotone voice, shot through the air as the armed forces prepared in battle formation.

"HALT. IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY CRYSTAL OF THE GOVERNMENT OF COCOON, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR TRAITORUS ACTIONS. SURRENDER NOW OR FACE BANISHMENT!"

Noctis looked over at the group forming. He remained emotionless and simply responded by forming his spinning barrier. Noctis was not going to let anyone stop him.

§————————————————§

Lightning fell out of the portal, landing on the ground. The area she was in now smelt very familiar, like a sanitized area that was made to seem freeing but was instead stifled by oppression. As she opened her eyes, they were bombarded with the glass and white architecture.

_It can't be?_

Lightning then took a long glance around her, eyes wide with shock.

_Cocoon._

It was Cocoon! Though it was not Pulse, the city was apart of her world. Maybe there was hope…but then she remembered that there would likely be no one she remembered, or that this world would disappear as quickly as it had appeared.

A familiar, haunting sign caught her attention. It was the PSICOM enforcers! The only way that group of the force was if a stranger had appeared in Cocoon. Getting her gunblade ready, she ran towards the sounds of the alarms.

§————————————————————————————§


	23. Good Night

_Cocoon_

Noctis was surrounded by the group of beasts and PSICOM soldiers that seemed endless. His magic was becoming weaker and weaker. He had been fighting for hours. He was now on the ground, kneeling and trying to catch his breath. _There is no way that I'm going to defeat them all._

Out of nowhere a hail of bullets appeared. That chased the monsters away. Noctis, however, was now terrified as he knew there was only one person who used a gun. Still kneeling, he looked up see Lightning. He was too out of breath to say anything.

"Surprised to see you here" spoke her cool voice.

"Ligh…Lightning."

She then pointed her gun at Noctis. Lightning had finally found the prince and she was not going to let him go.

"Lightning, I don't want…I just want to end this." Noctis spoke.

Lightning looked at the prince with questioning eyes. She remembered what Cecil had said that Golbez talked with Noctis. "What changed? The last time I saw you, you were all for killing Cosmos." She was doing her best to keep control of the emotions.

Noctis was slowly getting up from the ground. "I...I learned the truth. Golbez told me that my world no longer exists. I have nothing now."

"What about your whole quest for immortality?"

"It doesn't matter. All I want now is to disappear into the void."

"I see" Lightning prepared her battle stance. She was still listening to the prince, but she was not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm…I'm sorry Lightning" Noctis spoke, feeling as though he was freeing himself from something.

"What did you say" Lightning asked, trying to understand what he had just said to her.

"I'm sorry. If I had known that your world would have been destroyed in the process, I would have never agreed to be on the side of Chaos."

Lightning paused for a moment, taken aback. _Did he just say what he thought he said? That he was sorry. _She relaxed, and put her gunblade into her holster. The officer looked the prince into the eyes. His scarlet eyes were replaced with deep blue, sad eyes. The prince looked human, something that she had never seen before.

"Do…do you really mean that?" She walked closer to the prince, who standing steadily on his feet.

"I…" Noctis spoke, "I…do. I was being selfish. I'm sorry"

Lightning paused for a moment, taking that statement in. "There is still the problem of you being on the side of Chaos. From what I was told, you and I need to fight so that the god can be weakened."

"I know, but there is another way, without fighting" the prince said.

"You're not seriously thinking of…"

"Do it!" Noctis firmly told Lightning. "I need to return to nothingness."

Lightning looked at the prince with terror in her eyes. If he was asking what she thought he was asking. "No!"

"Lightning, all of those who aided Chaos need to be removed before you face the god. It's not fair, but you need to do this."

"How…I…No!"

"Lightning, I don't want to fight you. There is no honor that needs to be regained or crystal that needs to be obtained. I only want to fade away peacefully with the least amount of pain to you."

Lightning began to tear up. Even for her years in the Cocoon army, she did not want to do this. She looked Noctis in the eyes and saw no fear. He was truly remorseful and wanted to help Lightning, yet there seemed to be nothing that would change Noctis' mind.

Lightning then reached for her gunblade.

At that moment a scream from Noctis pierced the air, along with a series of rapid bullet fire. Lightning looked to see a lone PSICOM officer appear from behind the prince. She unsheathed her gunblade once again, aimed her gun, and fired a clean shot into the chest of the robotic officer. A series of sparks flew off the chest of the figure as it fell to the ground. Adrenaline still flowing through her veins, Lightning gazed over to the prince.

A pool of blood was forming on the ground where the prince was lying. He was breathing heavily. She ran over to the prince. Placing her gunblade beside her, she knelt down on the hard pavement and turned Noctis on his side. He screamed in pain as she scanned his back for the bullet wounds. She located six holes. They were mostly located on his upper back, painful but not fatal. The fifth appeared to have hit one of his lower ribs. Lightning then found the sixth entry wound. She then hung her head low in despair. The area the bullet had hit was right beside his heart, most likely cutting one of his main arteries. Noctis would bleed out; all she could do now was make him comfortable. Carefully, she turned the wincing prince onto his back, which allowed her to position the prince's head on her knees.

"Why" Noctis asked, getting a grip of what was happening. "Why are you being kind to me? Are you mocking me?" His voice was pained and he was struggling to breath.

"Did you ever think that perhaps I care about people?" Lightning spoke, with sadness in her voice. She had thought of Noctis as an opponent, yet it was tragic that the two were simply pawns is a great game of chess.

Noctis laughed. "I took you for someone who didn't care…about others…"

"Me too."

A gentle rain was beginning to fall.

"Lightning…what do you…think…about…death?"

She sighed. "That it's not the end. We all die at one point or another: we have a part to play, we perform it with monologues or with others, then we take our bows, the curtain falls, and then we exit. Yet even when the story we see is finished, there is still another story beyond the theater itself."

"Do…you…believe…that?"

Looking down at the dying prince, Lightning shook her head to indicate 'yes'.

"I have…one…last…request…Take Chaos…down…return the…worlds…to…to…"

"Normal? I will" Lightning finished his sentence. She was thinking the exact same thing. She too wanted this nightmare to end.

Noctis smiled.

His breathing stopped. His dark eyes glazed over. Lightning just then felt the light rain fall down, washing away the blood that was on her white officer vest, arms, and leg. She closed the prince's eyes, relaxed his face, and placed his head on the ground. Lifting his abandoned sword, she placed it in his hands and then stood up. As she did, she heard the footsteps of the rest of the Warriors of Cosmos.

"Lightning?" a concerned Bartz spoke, seeing the body of Noctis. He was about to say something more, but Cloud placed one of his hands on warriors' shoulder. That silenced Bartz. Cloud then turned his gaze to Lightning; his blue eyes spoke volumes. The look in his eyes told Lightning that he had seen something like this before. The other warriors had bowed their heads, even the normally emotionless Squall was looking down.

"It's finished." Lightning spoke interrupting the silence. "What's done is done. All that's left is Chaos." She picked up her gunblade, and shoved it into the holster on her back. She sighed heavily. "Let's go!"

The Warrior of Light nodded. They all turned around and started walking out of Cocoon and towards Chaos's Throne. Before leaving, Lightning watched as the body of Noctis faded into nothingness. Under her breath Lightning whispered, "Good night sweet prince and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: I started to cry as I wrote this. Poor Noctis. The last line that Lightning says is a quote from Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, a play that everyone should read once in their life. Next is the final battle against Chaos and another epic fight scene.


	24. Final Fight

_The Throne of Chaos_

The twelve warriors gathered for the final battle. They had all faced terrors and enemies, to get here: the throne of Chaos. No matter what happened, this is where everything had begun, and where the discord would end. Each warrior had the intention of saving their worlds and making sure that Cosmos' death was not in vain.

As a single group, they made their way up to the god's throne, which was located on a leveled plateau overlooking all of the destruction and discord. This was it. No second chances. No saving grace. It was now or never!

The Warrior of Light glanced around, as if to ask if all the warriors were ready. Everyone brought their weapons, be it swords, staffs, or gunblades. They were ready for this. The Warrior of Light then turned around and led the procession as the climbed up the mountain. Lightning stood between him and the Onion Knight, who was doing his best to stay up with everyone. Next to the little knight were Terra, Cecil, Bartz and Zidane. On the other side of the Warrior of Light were Firion, Tidus, Shantotto, Squall, and Cloud. In no time, all twelve warriors were on the leveled summit.

As they all lined up, Lightning got a good, clear look at Chaos. The beast sat in a great royal purple throne engraved with details of the worlds' destructions and eternal fires. His long reptilian tail was casually placed over the side of the throne's arm rests. The great black and red demon wings were outstretched for all those to see their span and might. A sickening smile had appeared on his face as he looked on as the Warriors of Cosmos stood prepared to fight.

Taking a step forward, the Warrior of Light began to speak. "Chaos, God of Destruction. We have come here to end your darkness and restore light to the worlds!"

Chaos made no response to the warrior's comment, remaining silent in his throne, rubbing two of his large clawed hands together. He chuckled at the group of warriors gathered before him. He then looked up, revealing his sickly yellow eyes and grim smile. Continuing his laugh, the god started to stand up.

"The final fantasy…" His words were full of terror and threats. Lightning felt her spine shiver. When he had finally stood up, he began to rise off the ground.

"Even discord…" His hands drew in toward his chest. The smallest spark of blood red fire appeared in each hand. They quickly grew, until they became fully formed flames.

"Will be dispersed by it" he yelled.

The god spread his four hands out, releasing a massive wind and circle of fire. The twelve warriors of Chaos stood their ground, fighting with all their might to stay on the ground and not fall off.

"The conclusion to this long battle…will be determined here!" roared Chaos.

The Warriors of Cosmos had decided to divide into three main groups. Terra, the Onion Knight, and Lady Shantotto would handle magical attacks. Squall, Bartz, Firion, Zidane would bombard the god with melee attacks. Cecil, Tidus, Cloud, the Warrior of Light and Lightning were the air and sword battle group.

Chaos stayed in the air and then swooped to the ground. Balls of fire appeared around him, engulfing the entire group of warriors. They then all shifted places and gathered behind Lightning, who had created a large gravity pulsed bubble that protected the Warriors of Cosmos through the entirety of Chaos' fire blast. As the warriors waited for the fire and smoke to clear, they all built up their strongest magical attacks. When the god was finally visible, they let lose nearly a dozen fire, ice, thunder, water, and gravity spells all aimed at Chaos. They all hit the god directly and he reeled back.

With that, the swordsmen ran forward, prepared to unleash numerous slashes at the god. They only made it halfway across the shrine when Chaos recovered, materialized a burnt red sword and threw it to the ground with a mighty blow. The shaking opened the ground and unearthed a line of rocks and crevices. Cloud and Tidus were thrown back into the Onion Knight and Cecil. The Warrior of Light managed to stay footed, but was thrown to the side of the plateau after a few moments. Lightning, however, was nimble and quick enough to dodge that attack by Chaos by simply barrel rolling to the side of the area that was not directly hit by the sword. She then ran as fast as she could and turned her gunblade to gun mode. Her bullets hit the god directly on his face. That had made enough of a pain for him that Chaos had to fly into the air.

She then ran over to the other warriors. Terra and Shantotto had taken over with Firion and the Onion Knight in flinging all sorts of spells into the air.

"We can't keep this little charade up forever" screamed the black mage.

The other eight had huddled in a line behind a few of the overturned rocks, as Chaos was replying to the warriors spells with his own magic. "Any ideas" asked Lightning she tried to dodge a falling meteor.

"Let's try running at it. That's a start" responded Squall.

"Really" asked a curious Bartz.

"NO! I was being sarcastic!"

Another loud crashing sound filled the air. That was followed by the high pitched scream of Terra and Shantotto. What followed was a bunch of incoherent yells and blasts from the mouth of the little mage. Lightning couldn't make everything out through all of the other sounds of the battle, but it sounded like: "YOU JERK…I'll cut your…four armed freak…feed it to my pets…make mincemeat…son of Shiva...head on a platter...how to teat a Lady…DINNER…EAT THIS…DEATH FROM BELLOW…oversized bird…newt…god of the dance...DANCE FOR ME FREAK BOY! DAAANNCEE! BWA-HA HA HA AH!"

Zidane must have also heard the speech of Shantotto. "I think she's officially lost it."

The Warrior of Light shook his head for a moment and then yelled, "Maybe we should split up! Cloud and Lightning, come with me! The rest of you should remain here!"

"And do what" responded Squall, who was now placing a few well placed shots from his gunblade at Chaos before pressing his back against the boulder. An insane laugh was heard as Shantotto fired another spell at Chaos.

"Just be prepared to use your strongest attack with everyone else!" answered the Warrior of Light. He then turned to Lightning and asked, "Can you use your gravity powers on others?"

She looked down at the two buttons on her fingers. "Depends on what you have in mind."

"Could you get the three of us up at the god at once?"

Lightning peered up into the sky, estimating the distance between him and her. Looking back at the leader, she said, "I think so."

"Just wait till I say so."

Lightning nodded her head showing that she understood what was happening. The four remained motionless as they watched the movement of the flying god as he circled around his shrine, dodging a variety of magic attacks by Shantotto.

"Enough" he roared. With that he threw a fire arrow directly at Shantotto, which must have hit her directly as no more crazy screams could be heard.

"Now" yelled The Warrior of Light. With that, Lightning snapped her fingers together, producing the pulsing force field. She then grabbed the arms of Cloud and The Warrior of Light let the field cover her whole body and the halves of the two other warriors. Instantly, she pushed of the ground positioning herself behind Chaos, who was gloating at the silencing of Shantotto.

"Hah! That should teach you" roared the god.

"This should too" yelled Lightning, who had turned off the gravity pulse and was falling with Cloud and the Warrior of Light directly at the god. Each fighter landed on his back and began to slash through the beast's skin. Lightning ran up to the head of Chaos, holding onto one of his horns, and placed a few well placed blade hits on the area around the top of his head. The god screamed in pain and threw his head back.

From bellow a grapple and arrow, each attached with a metal string went soaring through the air. Lightning looked at those projectiles as Cloud and the Warrior of Light climbed up next to Lightning. Cloud apparently knew what was going on and he quickly grabbed the two ropes before they fell to the ground.

Holding on to Lightning he yelled, "Lightning, tie this around his horn!"

She obeyed and began to tie the rope as tight as she could. As she was doing this, Chaos began to shake his head violently around, trying to get the pests on top of him to fall off. Lightning had just finished knotting the rope to the big horn, when she lost her grip. She screamed as she could feel gravity pull her down.

At the last moment though, a strong armored hand reached out and grabbed her. Looking up, she saw the eyes of The Warrior of Light.

"Thank you" she said, a thankful smile appeared on her face.

"We still have use for you" he replied, pulling her back up. "Now Firion!"

Instantly, Chaos' head flew to the ground, his wings beating hard against the pull that was creating pressure on his head. His roaring yells filled the air.

The three warriors on Chaos then took a chance and jumped to the god's left wing. With a blow of the buster sword and a few shots from the gunblade and a bone sickening crack was heard as the wing went limp. As a result Chaos circled to the ground in a spiral motion, trying to stay stable in the air.

The ground grew closer and the three took a leap and jumped. They landed on the ground safety. A few seconds later, Chaos crashed into his great throne, destroying it. He then rolled the center of the shrine, trying to find a way to escape the pain of his wing and head. As the god lay there, Terra and Shantotto, who had regained her sanity, cast a powerful trap spell, which appeared to bind the god to the ground, with no way of escape.

"That spell will only last thirty seconds" Terra yelled at the others.

The Warrior Light then spoke. "I believe it's time to finish this!"

Each warrior then chose a place along the circumference of the shrine and began to prepare their final and most powerful attacks. They had less than half a minute, which would determine whether the light or darkness would prevail.

Everyone changed either in appearance or weapon choice. The Warrior of Light's tall gold horns had fallen ninety degrees so that they looked like a pair of bull horn. Firion had summoned every single weapon that he had in his arsenal. The Onion Knight was now a Ninja. Cecil had changed to a dark knight, with an armor that was the exact color and style of his brother Golbez. A constellation of out of place stereotypical gold stars appeared above Bartz along with a collection of all the weapons used by the Warriors of Cosmos. Terra had calmly morphed into her beast form with an aurora of purple mist visible in the air around her. Cloud's buster sword had been replaced with the Ultima Weapon. Squall's gunblade had also changed to become the Lion Heart. Zidane had transformed into a light red beast with colored fur all over his body, similar to Terra. Like Cloud, Tidus had replaced his sword with his world's version of Ultima Weapon. Shantotto had completely changed costumes and was now hovering in the air with her tiny staff extended and multiple colored lights appearing around her. Finally, Lightning's whole body was covered in the blue film of her gravity power, as she levitated in the air, with her gunblade was in it's blade form, emitting a fiery color from it's edges.

The twelve warriors waited for a moment, charging their powers up. Lightning poured all of her strength and emotions into her blade, as it grew lighter in color. She focused and focused until she was unable to hold the power under control.

Finally, the spell of Chaos wore off and he tried to escape, but it was too late. The Warrior of Light yelled, "NOW!"

Instantly, every warrior flew, charged, and levitated toward Chaos with all of their final attacks. Everything they had was unleashed on the god. The sound of magical blasts, sword slashes, and crashes filled the air. Finally, the god felt his strength disappear.

With a last roar he realized that he had been defeated. Time began to slow down as Chaos disappeared in the air. A bright light then surrounded and blinded all of the warriors as the last cries of the God of Discord echoed into nothingness.

§————————————————————————————§

_Palace of Shinryu_

Shinryu had been paying close attention to the battle that was going on between Chaos and the Warriors of Cosmos. She was amazed how the twelve warriors had all pulled together to battle the god. It was a shame that she could not participate in the battle as well. The way Chaos had schemed to permanently erase Cosmos would certainly receive punishment.

What amazed her more though was the participation of Lightning and Noctis in this war. It was a shame that the two were forced to be opponents simply because they were from an unformed crystal. That fact alone made the goddess decide that no more unformed worlds would engage in the wars of Cosmos and Chaos. Still, Lightning had performed admirably considering her circumstances.

She felt a shift in the balance between light and darkness, toward the light. She raised her head and smiled. "So, the Warriors of Cosmos have defeated Chaos. So be it."

With that, the woman closed her eyes, and began to transform back into the eternal dragon. In a moment, the woman disappeared and the mighty dragon appeared. She then flew into the air, disappearing into a bright light.

_Time to reset everything to the way it was._

§————————————————————————————§

Everything went white. Serene peace surrounded Lightning. Chaos had been defeated! Cosmos had been avenged! She could return home!

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked around.

_Oh, no!_

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: There are still many questions left but the next chapter, I promise, will answer everything. I've dropped little hints throughout the story and chapters that you can see if you go back and look for.


	25. What If

_The Throne of Cosmos_

It was finally over. The balance that was needed in Dissidia finally appeared. The worlds had been restored. The conflict was over and the warriors had been returned. All of them were home except…for Lightning. She now stood with Cosmos, who had been restored by Shinryu once again, with all of her powers and strength. This moment should have been one of happiness, yet the look on the two woman's faces said otherwise.

"So tell me if I am correct," Lightning spoke, "you and Chaos fight every time a new world is created or formed. Good and evil clash. When the victor is crowned, the eternal dragon Shinryu appears, and restores the looser who then chooses a new world and so and so on."

"Correct." Cosmos replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"So the cycle, this cycle is never broken?"

"That was its intention. No matter how many times Chaos or I am defeated the eternal dragon simply restores our powers and the war begins anew."

"But why did Chaos steal the crystals and then have us retrieve them?"

"It was an attempt to permanently break the cycle. If he spread my power out, he could weaken me to the point that Shinryu would be unable to revive me. Yet he did not plan that you and the other warriors would prevail against him."

Lightning nodded. "And now the worlds have been restored. But why am I still here?"

"I think," Cosmos mused, "something went wrong when we opened up your world. You see, the thirteenth world is not yet fully formed. There is a crystal, but your story has not been mapped out. Normally, Chaos and I wait until everything has been prepared and ready for the fight."

"But, I was in the middle of my story" Lightning replied, trying to understand the idea of a story. "And what about Noctis? It seems like his story was also interrupted. And that everything started from his arrival here in Dissidia."

"I agree Lightning."

"It weird though. I never met Noctis before coming here."

The goddess shook her head in agreement. "Golbez told me that what you had told him in your encounter."

"I have never seen him before, or he to me. How then can he and I be from the same world?"

"I know it seems implausible, but there must be a connection. When Noctis came to the side of Chaos, Cocoon was opened to me. If he was from a different world, then I would have chosen a warrior from that respective world."

This stumped Lightning. How could two people, who had never met before be considered enemies to each other? It didn't make any sense. All of the warriors, good and bad, had a connection whether that was a blood bond, ideals, or history. She and Noctis, therefore, must be connected somehow. That thought triggered something in her mind. What Golbez had muttered before.

_The thirteenth world seems to be one of many stories…yet one crystal binds them all together._

"That's it" Lightning spoke, her expression hinted as though everything made sense. "Noctis **is** from my world. Golbez muttered something about one crystal and many stories. Somehow, the thirteenth crystal has many stories to tell."

She then commanded her world's crystal to appear. She had noticed when the other warrior's crystals has materialized that they were all whole, but hers had the addition of the colored ribbons. She pointed to the cobalt and copper colored metals that decorated the blue crystal. The aqua line had disappeared. "Look, he and I are two separate stories, like these ribbons; they are separate from each other, but we both share the same world, or in this case the same crystal!"

Cosmos looked at Lightning with curious and shocked eyes. It was almost as though she was having trouble believing what she was being told.

"How…how is that possible" the goddess asked.

"I don't know, but that is the only explanation I can think of. He could very well be from a different time or place of the world, but we have a single crystal that connects his Tenebrae to my Pulse and Cocoon."

"That is all well and good, but how come he was returned to his world and you remain here in Dissidia?"

Lightning continued to think about all of the conversations she had had with Noctis: what he had said, believed, and told her. But nothing came to mind. "I still don't know the answer to that question."

"Didn't he say something about what he believed," asked Cosmos.

Lightning nodded. "He did. 'Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.' "

_Nothing is good or bad_. The words repeatedly echoed in Lightning's head. She was trying to make sense out of all this. _Nothing is good or bad_. _Nothing is good or bad_. _Nothing is good or bad_…_but thinking_. _Thinking makes it so. _That was it!

Lightning's eyes went wide at the realization. "What if…Noctis was never evil? What if he never was intended to be on the side of Chaos! We only thought he was because Chaos had summoned him!"

For the second time, Cosmos went white.

"Then, if he has a story," Cosmos continued Lightning's thought, "he was intended to fight for me! Chaos made the wrong decision, and I made the wrong choice in choosing you as his opponent."

"And if Noctis is indeed on your side, Cosmos, then Tenebrae was able to reset because Chaos was defeated and Noctis was returned to an earlier point in the thirteenth world's story. Before my story began."

"Then if we restart Noctis' story, his proper story…"

"Then story in Pulse will be restored!"

The two looked at each other and smiled. There was hope after all! It was now just a question of what object or event it would take to restore Pulse.

"Did Noctis accuse you of anything, Lightning? Something that would perhaps motivate him to fight for Chaos?"

Lightning thought for a moment. "He accused me of fighting for the Goddess of Death."

Cosmos walked up to Lightning, holding an empty sack of velvet. "Lightning, return the crystal to Noctis and I have a feeling that your story will finally be restored."

Lightning placed her crystal in the satchel, and held it securely in her hand. She then looked up at Cosmos with tears in her eyes. Without hesitation, she hugged Cosmos. It is all that she could think of to thank the goddess. The warrior felt more attached to her than any of the other Warriors of Cosmos. The goddess was like a mother to Lightning, someone who cared about what happened to her, who would do what ever it took to protect her.

"Thank you Cosmos. I…I hope that I'll help you break this cycle."

The goddess glimpsed back at Lightning, "I appreciate that." She then released Lightning from the hug. "Lightning, your world is waiting." With that Lightning turned around, and stepped off the platform.

The goddess watched the horizon as Lightning grew smaller and fainter, as she disappeared into the background. As she watched, Cosmos reflected on how much of a daughter Lightning was to her. It was the oddest thing. She had heard that Lightning was a cold and introverted person, but with her, the fighter seemed like a warm individual with a hard shell.

She smiled. Cosmos knew that Lightning's world would have its battle in Dissidia and then fade away. But in that time, the goddess would make sure that Lightning's story would be the greatest tale ever told.

§————————————————————————————§

A/N: Did you get all that? Hope the major plot twist was a surprise!


	26. Epilogue

_Epilogue: Tenebrae_

Lightning calmed her fears with a heavy sigh. She knew that in a few more steps, she would see her opponent. Lightning knew what he had done to her, remembered the words he had spoke to her, how he had hurt her. Yet he would have no memory, no recollection of any of the events that happened in Dissidia. She reminded herself that this was all for the greater good, looking down at the small bundle she held in her hands.

For this occasion, she had decided to dress up. Rather than her normal officer clothes, she was wearing a long, floor length dress. The gown had thick straps that gently graced the sides of her shoulders, showing her normally hidden neck-line. There were no beads or embroidery on the dress, except for the fishtail styled bottom. It was the deep maroon color of her cape. The dress was accented by long black evening gloves she wore on her hands.

Finally making her decision, she climbed the last few steps before reaching the balcony looking over the city. Looking to her left, she saw Noctis sitting by himself on a furnished bench. He seemed unaware that Lightning had made appeared. It was bizarre. Lightning had watched him 'die'. Yet here he was, breathing and living.

"Your Highness?" she spoke in a polite, sweet voice.

Noctis immediately took notice of the woman, slightly surprised her sudden appearance. He walked over to Lighting, with a confused look on his face. She could tell from his eyes that he had no idea who she was. Lightning was taken aback by his attire, smirking that he was wearing a tux.

"Who…" he started.

"My name is not important. I have something for you." She moved her hands with the bundle towards the prince. "A gift from the Goddess of Life."

"What?" Noctis asked having no idea what was going on. He then gingerly took the bundle from Lightning's hands and examined it. The object was wrapped in a white burnt velvet cloth with hints of gold and aqua. As he unrolled the cloth, his eyes went wide when he saw what was concealed.

"This…Is this a crystal?!"

Lightning shook her head in agreement. Noctis was now fully engrossed in the shape and power of the crystal.

"Yes it is. But before you leave I want you to know this. With this crystal comes the responsibility of caring for the powers that it bears. If it is too much for you, you can return it to me. However, if you decide to keep it, that crystal will become your responsibility and you bear the powers that come with it, even if it means your death. The choice is yours."

Noctis seemed to weigh these two decisions heavily in his mind. Lightning looked on, hoping that he would do the right thing, for him and the future of their world. After what seemed like an eternity, Noctis looked Lightning in the eyes.

"I'll keep it" he said firmly, "and I will protect it no matter what the cost."

Lightning smiled a rare and happy smile that she rarely ever showed. "You made an excellent choice, prince. I wish you the best of luck."

With that, she headed to the staircase. Noctis simply looked at the crystal. He was mesmerized by the blue color of the stone. As he continued to examine it, the prince noticed the cobalt and copper metal ribbons that twisted around the sphere. Another inspection of the crystal revealed that a new, light aqua ribbon was forming around the sphere, entwining itself around the original two ribbons.

_How...how did that happen? _

§————————————————§

Lightning had reached the outside of the skyscraper. If Cosmos was correct, Pulse would reappear any moment. At that instant Lightning saw light blue ribbons appear in the air. First there were only a few, but then they increased, to the point where that was all she could see. Relaxing she closed her eyes and waited.

When she opened them, she saw that she was standing on something natural. Her regular clothes now draped her body. A soft breaze played across her face. Lightning looked down to see a deep brown and tan dirt ground. The smell of life filled her noses as she took a deep breath.

Lightning then looked up and gazed in awe. Before her was an winding river with a pack of dinosaur like creatures trudging through the path with ease. Beyond that were green forests, canyon walls, and giant stone figures that seemed to touch the clouds that dotted the crystal blue sky. In the sky was a large sphere, about the size of the moon, that was partially covered with a white spiderweb like substance, with bits of a piercing aqua globe showing through the web covering.

It was all to good to be true. Pulse!

She was home.

Lightning's story was about to begin.

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A/N: The end. I hope that you all enjoyed it. There are a few dear readers who have been following my story since I first published that I would like to thank! Skykhanhuter, narutofan1091, SunflowerWeilder, Ghost Writer no 3., Pearl Terra Branford, and Zindakku Hirokai. Thanks for all of your comments and feedback. They put such a smile on my face and helped me to continue writing this story!

To Square Enix, for all of the characters, worlds, and stories that have entertained millions for over twenty years. Here's also the hope the thirteenth Final Fantasy is as incredible as all the other fantasies and that those untold stories are just as incredible!

And to all of you who have read and enjoyed 'A Never Ending Tale'. Thank you!


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